Potomac River Near Wash, Dc Little Falls Pump Sta: river conditions
USGS gauge 01646500 · near Brookmont, MD
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7-day flow
NWS forecast for this spot
Numbers are provisional real-time data. We don't rate rivers as safe or unsafe. Check local conditions, posted signs and official advisories (NWS warnings, park and dam-release notices) before you launch.
Kayak types for this river
We don't have verified river-class or character data for this stretch, so this is based only on USGS flow. Typical flow is about 6,350 cfs (median of daily medians, USGS daily statistics 1931–2026). In spring the 90th-percentile flow reaches about 5.8× that, so boats made for calm water (recreational sit-inside, inflatable, foldable, tandem) aren't suited at typical high spring flows; sit-on-top, fishing and touring kayaks handle moving water better (REI kayak guide).
- Sit-on-top: Feelfree Nomad (max 330 lb)
- Fishing: Jackson Coosa X (max 425 lb)
- Touring: Feelfree Aventura 110 LT (max 330 lb)
Check today's conditions for your kayak
Flow, wind, water temperature, flood stage and NWS alerts
Documented hazards near this gauge
Dams on this river within 5 miles of the gauge, from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Inventory of Dams (updated 2026-10-23):
- Little Falls Dam - Potomac River (NID MD00022, 12 ft high, 0.1 mi from the gauge) · Map
Tip: Portage around dams. Low-head dams can form a recirculating current at the base that is hard to see from upstream and hard to escape; rescuers should throw a line from shore rather than approach by boat (Ohio DNR; Indiana DNR).
When flow is high: above the 90th percentile for the date or near NWS flood stage, expect more floating debris and strainers (downed trees that let water through but trap people and boats). Steer well clear of them (PA Fish and Boat Commission). Today's check flags this.
Wildlife
Verified presence within 25 km since 2000, from openly licensed (CC0 or CC BY) GBIF occurrence records (2026-10-26):
- American alligator (1 records). Keep your distance, never feed alligators, and keep pets away from the water's edge. Source: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Living with alligators.
- Black bear (3 records). Keep food and trash packed away at launches and campsites, and give bears plenty of room. Source: National Park Service, Bear safety.
Occurrence data: GBIF.org, records licensed CC0 or CC BY 4.0; attribution to the original datasets is listed on each GBIF record.
Water quality
We don't yet have harmful algal bloom (HAB) advisories for this spot. Check the Maryland HAB or beach advisory program before contact with the water, and keep pets out of discolored or scummy water (EPA harmful algal blooms).
When it's busiest
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Jul, Aug, Jun. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Mar, Apr, May. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Clara Barton National Historic Site: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Aug, May, Jun. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Nov, Jun, Sep. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Arlington House, The Robert E. Lee Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Jun, May, Mar. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: May, Apr, Mar. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Lincoln Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Apr, Mar, May. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
George Washington Memorial Parkway: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Jul, Aug, Jun. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Jul, Jun, May. A month shown as 0 had no published count. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
White House: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: May, Aug, Jul. A month shown as 0 had no published count. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Washington Monument: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Aug, May, Mar. A month shown as 0 had no published count. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Belmont-Paul Women's Equality National Monument: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Mar, Feb, May. A month shown as 0 had no published count. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Feb, Jan, Mar. A month shown as 0 had no published count. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Theodore Roosevelt Island: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Oct, Sep, Aug. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
World War I Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: May, Apr, Mar. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Korean War Veterans Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Apr, May, Mar. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Apr, Mar, May. A month shown as 0 had no published count. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Ford's Theatre National Historic Site: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Apr, May, Mar. A month shown as 0 had no published count. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Apr, Mar, May. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Thomas Jefferson Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Mar, Apr, May. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Mar, Apr, May. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Sep, Oct, Aug. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
World War II Memorial: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: May, Apr, Mar. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Rock Creek Park: recreation visits by month, 2025
Busiest: Jul, Aug, Jun. Source: NPS Visitor Use Statistics. Park-wide counts, not river-only.
Cold water
Shown when this gauge reports water temperature.
Maryland paddling rules
Registration, permits, life jackets and AIS stickers
Float time estimator
How long a stretch of river might take
Cold water and life jacket guide
From NWS and Coast Guard guidance
Data: USGS (provisional, real-time; percentiles from USGS daily statistics 1931–2026) · Forecast: NOAA/NWS.