Is the River Rising?
The live Galena River height at the NWS forecast gauge, against the official flood thresholds — plus how the floodgates work.
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The live Galena River height at the NWS forecast gauge, against the official flood thresholds — plus how the floodgates work.
Galena sits on a small river that has flooded the town many times. This page reads the live river height at the National Weather Service forecast gauge upstream and shows it against the official flood thresholds — so you can see at a glance whether the river is low, rising toward action stage, or into flooding.
Below flood stage
The river is below flood stage right now. Reading from 13 June at 14:30.
These are the official National Weather Service flood thresholds for this gauge. The row the current reading sits in is marked.
| Level | Stage | |
|---|---|---|
| Major flooding | 19 ft | |
| Moderate flooding | 17 ft | |
| Minor flooding | 15 ft | |
| Action stage | 15 ft |
The river is below all of these right now.
Galena protects its downtown with an earthen flood levee and steel flood gates on South Main Street that are closed during high water, backed by a pump system that removes groundwater and floodwater. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspects the whole system every year, and the city's Public Works Department operates it.
There is no published river height at which the gates close — the city decides based on the forecast and conditions, so this page does not list a trigger level.
Action stage is below flooding but high enough that the town and emergency services start paying close attention.
Minor flooding means some low-lying roads and land near the river start to go under.
Moderate flooding reaches more roads, property and low ground.
Major flooding is extensive — the most serious category this gauge reports.
These words describe the river, not what you should do. Decisions about closing flood gates or leaving home come from the town and emergency services — follow them.
Record crest: 20 ft on 28 June 1969.
City of Galena Public Works · Call 815-777-1050 · More information
In a flooding emergency, call 911. For questions about the levee and flood gates, contact Public Works.
Reading from 13 June at 15:26. Data: NOAA National Water Prediction Service (NWPS) (water.noaa.gov, public domain). Official gauge page: water.noaa.gov.