About this river
James River is a 19.4 mile river near GAS AND BOAT RENTAL in South Dakota. Streamflow is measured at the USGS gauge James River near Scotland, SD (site 06478500). The National Hydrography Dataset places it at stream order 7. Reach geometry comes from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset.
Typical flow by month
1929 to 2026
James River typically runs highest in May, at a median 775 cfs, and lowest in January, at 49 cfs. The highest flow on record for any single day is 53,700 cfs, in 2019.
| Month | Typical (cfs) | Usual range (cfs) | Relative level |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49 | 17 to 140 | |
| February | 60 | 25 to 129 | |
| March | 300 | 110 to 1,180 | |
| April | 736 | 183 to 2,400 | |
| May | 775 | 207 to 1,810 | |
| June | 667 | 153 to 1,995 | |
| July | 331 | 75 to 1,400 | |
| August | 190 | 32 to 879 | |
| September | 100 | 19 to 508 | |
| October | 72 | 18 to 420 | |
| November | 80 | 26 to 314 | |
| December | 67 | 21 to 207 |
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 97 years of record. Statistics published by the US Geological Survey for James River near Scotland, SD (site 06478500). Conditions on any given day can fall well outside the usual range. Check the current reading before you go.
Boat access nearby
One mapped launch sits in the mapped area of James River. Ramp data comes from the USGS national boat-ramp inventory.
Embed this gauge on your site
Paste this snippet anywhere, an outfitter page, a club site, a trip report, to show James River's live streamflow, water level and 7-day trend. It reads the USGS gauge directly, updates itself, and links back here.
See every free widget you can put on your site, including live conditions and a 7 day forecast.
