About this river
Des Moines River is a 17.1 mile river near Saylorville Lake Marina in Iowa. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge Des Moines River blw Raccoon Riv at Des Moines, IA (site 05485500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 7. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1978 to 2026
Des Moines River typically runs highest in June, at a median 11,100 cfs, and lowest in January, at 1,230 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 113,000 cfs, in 1993.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,230 | 532 to 2,630 | |
| February | 1,640 | 520 to 2,890 | |
| March | 5,830 | 2,730 to 11,100 | |
| April | 8,880 | 3,955 to 17,200 | |
| May | 10,900 | 5,320 to 19,300 | |
| June | 11,100 | 5,165 to 19,150 | |
| July | 7,630 | 3,350 to 15,100 | |
| August | 2,820 | 1,310 to 5,690 | |
| September | 1,540 | 731 to 3,765 | |
| October | 1,780 | 575 to 4,850 | |
| November | 2,035 | 763 to 4,970 | |
| December | 1,780 | 776 to 3,630 |
Typical is the median of each month’s daily median values, and the usual range runs from the median 25th to the median 75th percentile, across about 49 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for Des Moines River blw Raccoon Riv at Des Moines, IA (site 05485500). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
8 mapped launches sit in the mapped area of Des Moines River, all of them public access. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
- Yellow Banks AccessDes Moines RiverPublic
- Pleasant Hill Boat RampDes Moines RiverPublic
- Des Moines Water Works ParkNorth Raccoon RiverPublic
- Birdland ParkDes Moines RiverPublic
- Prospect ParkDes Moines RiverPublic
- Sycamore AccessDes Moines RiverPublic
- Lakeview High WaterBig Creek - Saylorville LakePublic
- Lakeview Main ABig Creek - Saylorville LakePublic
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show Des Moines River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
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