Etowah River at Canton
Flood levels
Official flood levels at this gauge: action stage begins at 15.0 ft; minor flooding begins at 16.0 ft; moderate flooding begins at 22.0 ft; major flooding begins at 26.0 ft.
| Action stage | 15.0 ft |
|---|---|
| Minor flooding | 16.0 ft |
| Moderate flooding | 22.0 ft |
| Major flooding | 26.0 ft |
Highest recorded crests
- 26.7 ft on Jan 7, 1946 (historic crest)
- 26.3 ft on Dec 10, 1919 (historic crest)
- 25.9 ft on Jul 10, 1916 (historic crest)
- 25.3 ft on Mar 17, 1990 (historic crest)
What the water does
National Weather Service impact statements for this gauge, in the Weather Service's own words.
| 15.0 ft | Bankfull conditions occur in the woodlands and fields along the river in the Canton area. Some flooding will begin in low lying and poor drainage areas. |
|---|---|
| 16.0 ft | Flood Stage is reached. Minor flooding begins in the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage by the Walaska Street bridge. Low lying portions of recreational areas such as Boling Park behind the Cherokee County High School...the Cherokee County Fairgrounds and the Etowah River Greenway at Heritage Park will begin to flood. |
| 17.0 ft | Minor flooding continues in the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage by the Walaska Street bridge. Portions of recreational areas such as Boling Park behind the Cherokee County High School...the Cherokee County Fairgrounds and the Etowah River Greenway at Heritage Park will be flooded with up to one foot of water. The parking lot at Boling Park will begin to flood. |
| 18.0 ft | Minor flooding expands into the woodlands and fields along the river upstream and downstream from the gage by the Walaska Street bridge. Large portions of recreational areas such as Boling Park behind the Cherokee County High School...the Cherokee County Fairgrounds and the Etowah River Greenway at Heritage Park will be flooded with up to two feet of water. The parking lot at Boling Park will be under one foot of water. Portions of the Mill Industrial Way Road begin to flood. |
| 20.0 ft | Minor flooding expands further into the woodlands and fields upstream and downstream from the gage by the Walaska Street bridge. Large portions of recreational areas such as Boling Park behind the Cherokee County High School...the Cherokee County Fairgrounds and the Etowah River Greenway at Heritage Park will be flooded with up to 4 feet of water. The flood waters will reach the base of the water treatment plant near Boling Park. Portions of the Mill Industrial Way road will be under 3 feet of water. |
| 22.0 ft | Moderate flooding begins upstream and downstream from the Walaska Street bridge. Recreation areas such as Boling Park behind the Cherokee County High School...the Cherokee County Fairgrounds and the Etowah River Greenway at Heritage Park will be flooded with up to 6 feet of water. The flood waters will be up to 3 feet deep around the base of the water treatment plant near Boling Park. Portions of the Mill Industrial Way road will be under 5 feet of water. Old Canton Textile Plant Number 1 begins to flood. |
| 23.0 ft | Significant flooding occurs along the river in Canton. Boling Park behind the Cherokee County High School...the Cherokee County Fairgrounds and the Etowah River Greenway at Heritage Park are flooded with up to 7 feet of water. The flood waters will be up to 4 feet deep around the water treatment plant near Boling Park. Portions of the Mill Industrial Way road are under 6 feet of water. Several buildings near the Canton Textile Plant 1 begin to flood. |
| 25.0 ft | Significant flooding expands in Canton. Boling Park behind the Cherokee County High School...the Cherokee County Fairgrounds and the Etowah River Greenway at Heritage Park are flooded with up to 9 feet of water. The flood waters will be up to 6 feet deep around the water treatment plant near Boling Park. Portions of the Mill Industrial Way road are under 8 feet of water. Several buildings near the Canton Textile Plant are flooded with 2 feet of water and buildings along Railroad Street begin to flood. |
| 26.0 ft | Major flooding begins. Widespread inundation flooding affects all recreational areas and parks near the river in Canton with 5 to 10 feet of water. The flood waters up to 7 feet deep will surround the water treatment plant near Boling Park. Several primary roads...industrial buildings and numerous businesses including River Place Shopping Center will be flooded. The Georgia Power substation near the Waleska Street bridge will begin to flood. Flood waters will approach the railroad tracks in the city. |
| 27.0 ft | Record flooding inundates all recreational areas and parks near the river in Canton with 6 to 11 feet of water. The flood waters up to 8 feet deep surround the water treatment plant near Boling Park. Several primary roads...industrial buildings and numerous businesses including River Place Shopping Center will be flooded with 1 to 2 feet of water. The rock foundation of a Georgia Power substation near the Waleska Street bridge floods. The railroad tracks in the city begin to flood. |
| 28.0 ft | Flooding never seen before inundates all parks near the river in Canton with 7 to 12 feet of water. The flood waters up to 9 feet deep surround the water treatment plant near Boling Park. Numerous primary roads...industrial buildings and businesses including River Place Shopping Center will be flooded with 1 to 3 feet of water. The Georgia Power substation and the USGS gage house near the Waleska Street bridge and the railroad tracks in the city will be flooded. |
| 30.0 ft | Flooding never seen before causes a catastropic flood which inundates portions of the infrastructure of Canton. The water treatment plant near Boling Park will be flooded. Some major and numerous primary roads...industrial buildings and businesses will be flooded with 1 to 5 feet of water. The Georgia Power substation and the USGS gage house near the Waleska Street bridge and the railroad tracks in the city will be flooded with a few feet of water. There may be a data transmission loss at the gage. |
| 31.0 ft | A catastropic flood never seen before inundates portions of the Canton infrastructure. The water treatment plant at Boling Park will be flooded. Some major and numerous primary roads...industrial buildings...businesses and a few homes will be flooded with 1 to 7 feet of water. The Georgia Power substation and the USGS gage house near the Waleska Street bridge and the railroad tracks in the city will be flooded with several feet of water. Water reaches the USGS gage instrument shelf causing a loss of data. |
Forecast office: NWS Peachtree City · River Forecast Center: Southeast River Forecast Center.
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Nearby stations and gauges
- Etowah River Downstream I-575 at Canton NWS gauge · 1.6 mi
- Hickory Log Creek near Canton NWS gauge · 2.1 mi
- Shoal Creek at GA 108 near Waleska NWS gauge · 6.0 mi
- Sharp Mountain Creek at Old GA 5 below Ball Ground NWS gauge · 7.1 mi
- Little River at GA 5 near Woodstock NWS gauge · 8.2 mi
- Noonday Creek at Shallowford River near Woodstock NWS gauge · 12.1 mi