Rough River level at Falls of Rough
Kentucky · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 03318010 — ROUGH RIVER NEAR FALLS OF ROUGH AT DAM, KY
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
Below normal — good wading, low and clear
At 33.19 ft, this gauge is in the lowest quarter of the 10 years USGS has recorded for this date (1999–2025), against a 34 ft median.
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Flow history at Falls of Rough
Daily values from USGS 03318010, updated every 15 to 60 minutes. Provisional.
About Rough River at Falls of Rough
In Kentucky, below Rough River Lake. 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 Rough River Lake. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Rough River at Falls of Rough — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Rough River Lake 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 Rough River at Falls of Rough high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median gage height for late September here is 34 ft, from 10 years of record (1999–2025). Today sits in the lowest quarter of those years. 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 03318010 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.