What the Cartecay River gauge number means

The number most people mean is the stage at USGS gauge 02379500, “Cartecay River near Ellijay,” in Gilmer County, Georgia (USGS). It is the height of the water at the gauge, in feet. The same gauge also reports flow, in cubic feet per second (cfs). Paddlers talk in feet, the long-term statistics come in cfs, and neither number on its own tells you whether a trip is a good idea. Here is today’s reading.

Two numbers, two jobs

Stage is a height above the gauge’s own reference point. A reading of 1.5 feet does not mean the river is a foot and a half deep. It means the water surface at that spot is 1.5 feet above zero on that gauge. Flow, or discharge, is how much water passes the gauge each second. USGS computes it from the stage using field measurements, and the two rise and fall together.

One pair of numbers shows how far apart they run. The biggest flood on record at this gauge was 20,000 cfs at a 13.00-foot stage on April 8, 1938, which USGS notes was the highest since 1886 (USGS). Feet go up a little while cfs go up a lot. That is why American Whitewater’s ranges are in feet and a monthly median in cfs is hard to compare by eye. The live card puts both numbers side by side, so you can see how they line up on a given day.

Where the gauge is, and how long it has run

American Whitewater puts the gauge at the East Ellijay city limits on Highway 52, about a quarter mile east of the Highway 515 bridge (American Whitewater). It measures 134 square miles of drainage (USGS). On our measured profile it is at river mile 17.3 of 19.2, less than two miles above the confluence in Ellijay. The National Weather Service runs a forecast point on the same gauge, called EECG1 (NWS).

USGS daily discharge records here begin on March 17, 1937 (USGS). The record is not continuous, though. USGS annual statistics show no data for 1977 through 2009, and the current 15-minute record started on April 22, 2009 (USGS). “Since 1937” is true with a three-decade hole in the middle.

What a typical month looks like

These are the USGS medians of each month’s mean flow at the gauge, from its USGS statistics service. Half of the years on record ran higher than the median for that month and half ran lower.

The river runs fullest in early spring, with medians of 372.5 cfs in March and 372 in April (USGS). It runs lowest in early fall: 129 cfs in September and 125 in October (USGS). Over the main tubing months the median falls from 241.5 cfs in June to 164 in August. USGS labels this statistics service beta, so the figures can be revised. A median is not a forecast, and a single storm can put any day far outside it.

The ranges paddlers use

American Whitewater publishes recommended ranges on this gauge for its two Cartecay whitewater reaches. For the Middle Cartecay, Lower Cartecay Road to the Mulkey Road take-out, it recommends 1.8 to 6 feet (American Whitewater). For the Lower Cartecay, down to the DNR take-out, it recommends 2.2 to 6 feet (American Whitewater). At 2.4 feet or more, AW says it is worth continuing past Mulkey Road to the DNR take-out (American Whitewater).

AW also flags what changes with height. Above 4 feet, it says Blackberry Falls (American Whitewater) and Whirlpool (American Whitewater) both rise to Class III/III+, and S-Turn becomes Class III at 4 to 6 feet (American Whitewater). On October 18, 2026, the day we checked, AW’s page showed 1.45 feet and called it below recommended. That is a dated snapshot, not today’s level.

Two cautions. These are AW’s recommendations for whitewater boaters, not a statement about tubes or rental sit-on-tops. And no number on the gauge makes the river risk-free. Wood and fast current can be there at any reading.

The flood numbers

The National Weather Service sets flood categories on this gauge: action at 6 feet, minor flooding at 7, moderate at 9 and major at 11 (NWS). It says bankfull conditions are reached at a 6-foot stage (NWS). The highest crest it lists is the 13 feet of April 8, 1938, and the second highest is 11.08 feet on December 24, 2015 (NWS).

Notice that AW’s upper limit, NWS bankfull and the NWS action stage are all 6 feet. At that height the river is at the top of its banks. The Weather Service also warns that just 6 inches of fast-moving floodwater can knock over an adult (NWS).

The gauge is downstream of the runs

American Whitewater cautions that the gauge is downriver of the Lower Cartecay, so whether the level is rising or falling matters, and it suggests checking the shoals at the Mulkey Road take-out when the reading is near the minimum (American Whitewater). By our profile, the gauge sits about 3.4 river miles below the DNR launch, 8.2 below Mulkey Road and 10.5 below Lower Cartecay Road. Water from a storm upstream passes the paddling reaches before it shows up at the gauge, and the reading can trail what you will find on the water. Look at the trend line on the card, not only the last number.

Why the outfitter makes the call

For a rented tube or kayak, the gauge is background. Cartecay River Experience is open Memorial Day to Labor Day, and it says the weekends around those dates depend on the weather, so call first (Cartecay River Experience). Whether it puts tubes on the water on a given day is its decision. Call 706-531-4746 before you drive, and see our tubing guide.

If you paddle your own boat, the call is yours. Pair the gauge with AW’s reach notes on our kayaking and paddling page and the safety notes on water levels and safety. Our piece on Blackberry Falls and the Mulkey Road take-out lists the AW classes by level, and plan your visit covers the rest of the trip.

One note for anyone who built a gauge widget: USGS will shut down its legacy WaterServices feeds on February 22, 2027, with built-in delays starting November 16, 2026 (USGS). Our card already reads the new api.waterdata.usgs.gov service.

Questions people ask

Written by the Cartecay River Guide Editorial Team. AI tools help us draft; people check every fact before it publishes.