Cooper River level at Moncks Corner
South Carolina · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 02172002 — LAKE MOULTRIE TAILRACE CANAL AT MONCKS CORNER, SC
Reading taken · as of 43 min ago
Below normal — good wading, low and clear
At 4,350 CFS, this gauge is in the lowest quarter of the 24 years USGS has recorded for this date (2002–2026), at 89% of the 4,880 CFS median.
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Flow history at Moncks Corner
Daily values from USGS 02172002, updated every 15 to 60 minutes. Provisional.
About Cooper River at Moncks Corner
In South Carolina, below Lake Moultrie. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Lake Moultrie. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Cooper River at Moncks Corner — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Lake Moultrie affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Cooper River at Moncks Corner high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 4,880 CFS, from 24 years of record (2002–2026). Today sits in the lowest quarter of those years, at 89% of the median. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 02172002 every 15 to 60 minutes. This page refreshes from USGS when you open it, and the reading is provisional until USGS reviews it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.