At 11:30 p.m. on October 5, 2026, the USGS gauge on the Glover River near Glover recorded 0.24 cubic feet per second. USGS puts the median daily flow for October 6, the next day on the calendar, at 10 cfs, drawn from 65 years of records. At the same moment on the other side of Battiest, the Mountain Fork near Eagletown was running 841 cfs, about two and a half times its October 6 median of 340.
The same dry fall is falling on both watersheds, yet the two rivers point in opposite directions. The difference comes down to one thing the Glover lacks: a dam.
| As of late Oct. 5, 2026 | Reading | USGS and Corps baseline for Oct. 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Glover River near Glover, flow | 0.24 cfs | 10 cfs median; 1.9 cfs at the 25th percentile |
| Mountain Fork near Eagletown, flow | 841 cfs | 340 cfs median; 644 cfs at the 75th percentile |
| Broken Bow Lake, elevation | 592.84 ft | 602.02 ft conservation pool |
A river fed by nothing upstream but weather
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation calls the Glover one of the state's last free-flowing streams. In practice, that means no reservoir upstream stores spring water and lets it out in fall. Whatever falls on the hills north of Battiest runs down the West Fork and East Fork and through the Three Rivers Wildlife Management Area. Then it's gone.
When the rain stops, the Glover drops, and this fall the rain has stopped. In U.S. Drought Monitor data valid September 29, 2026, all of McCurtain County was in drought. That breaks down to 76.84% of the county in severe drought, 19.48% in extreme drought and 3.68% in exceptional drought. The Glover's flow tracks that almost directly. Late on October 5, it sat well below 1.9 cfs, the 25th percentile USGS lists for October 6, meaning only a quarter of past years have run lower on that date.
The gauge's history shows this can go further. The lowest October 6 reading on record is 0.00 cfs, set in 1979. The highest is 24,800 cfs, in 1999. No dam evens out the extremes, so the river swings between nearly dry and full flood depending on the weather. That's why the Glover works as a rain gauge for this part of the county. As of October 5, the reading is close to empty.
The fish and wildlife living there have adapted to those swings. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lists the leopard darter as threatened and includes the Glover upstream of its confluence with the Little River in the species' present range.
Where the Mountain Fork's water is coming from
The Mountain Fork running at 841 cfs in a county where 100% of the land is in drought looks like a contradiction. The lake explains it. Broken Bow Lake stood at 592.84 feet late on October 5, which is 9.18 feet below normal. The Army Corps of Engineers listed the conservation pool at 602.02 feet and the lake at 74.78% full.
The Eagletown gauge sits below the dam. With almost no rain feeding the system, the likeliest source of that above-median flow is the lake itself, which has dropped as the water moved downstream. The Mountain Fork near Eagletown is passing along stored water from wetter months. The Glover has no stored water to pass along.
That changes how to read the two rivers. An above-median Mountain Fork in October 2026 doesn't mean the area is getting rain. A lake more than nine feet low points to how dry it has been.
What 0.24 cfs means for an October on the Glover
Fall is normally when the Glover comes into its own. Southwest Paddler's paddling guide, last updated in 2014, calls October through May or June its prime season, and it warns that water levels vary and the Glover is not a casual float. Oklahoma Tourism describes the river as secluded and uncommercialized, with no concessions. It notes that low water exposes rocks, logs and falls that make floating harder, while high water can make a trip dangerous. At a fraction of one cubic foot per second, this October falls well inside the low-water warning.
Fishing changes with the water too. ODWC's stream guidance says smallmouth fishing is best in late spring, summer and early fall, when water is above 60°F. It recommends watching rain, water clarity and gauge readings before heading out. According to the department, the Glover holds bass, sunfish and catfish, and anglers fish it with light spinning tackle and fly tackle. The rules that apply this fall:
- Bass limits on rivers and streams. The combined daily limit for black bass is six, and only one of those can be a smallmouth. Largemouth and smallmouth must both be at least 14 inches. Spotted bass have no size limit.
- Land access. The Three Rivers WMA covers 185,199 acres across McCurtain and Pushmataha counties. It's owned by private timber companies, and hunting or fishing on it requires a land-access permit.
- Permit cost. The current WMA page lists $100 a year for residents and $200 for nonresidents. ODWC's smallmouth guide still shows $40 and $85, so confirm the price before buying.
- Private banks. Under statewide river rules, using private land along a river or creek requires the landowner's consent.
When the river is this low, the holes that still hold water stand out, and anyone fishing them is more likely to be walking gravel bars that would normally be underwater. Knowing whose land a gravel bar belongs to matters more in a low-water year.
The rule that came with the dry weeks
The drought has done more than lower the river. On August 31, McCurtain County commissioners passed an emergency resolution authorizing a county burn ban, effective immediately. The McCurtain Gazette reported it on September 2. Eighteen of the county's 21 fire departments had requested the ban, along with the U.S. Forest Service and state Forestry.
County Emergency Management director Jerry Falling told commissioners the ban was "absolutely" needed. He pointed to a recent accidental fire in the Hochatown area that burned about 100 acres near some cabins. Any law enforcement agency in the county can enforce the ban. A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to a year in jail, or both.
A county burn ban lasts up to 14 days but can be extended while extreme conditions continue. More than a month later, conditions haven't let up. Oklahoma Forestry Services' live map still listed McCurtain County under a county burn ban in its update at 12:19 a.m. on October 6, 2026. Brush piles, campfires on the gravel bar and backyard burning are all covered by it for now.
The bill that would have named the Glover a scenic river
The Glover's lack of a dam is what lets it drop this low. It's also what lawmakers have tried to protect for the last two years.
Oklahoma's Scenic Rivers Act dates to 1970. It already covers Flint Creek, the Illinois River, Barren Fork Creek and the Upper Mountain Fork River. In 2025, Sen. David Bullard, R-Durant, filed Senate Bill 1010 to add the Glover and the Kiamichi. During an August 2025 interim study, speakers in favor of adding the rivers said they wanted protection from hydropower plants, dams and other disruptive development. The bill's official history ends with its February 2025 referral to the Senate Energy committee.
In 2026, Bullard came back with a broader bill, SB 2157. It would designate the Glover, Kiamichi, Little and Mountain Fork rivers as scenic and create a Southeast Scenic Rivers Commission to manage them. His office's February 26, 2026, release put the goal plainly:
"Designating these rivers as 'scenic' waterways ensures they remain free-flowing and unimpeded by large dams or structures."
The bill cleared committee with an amended do-pass report on an 8–5 vote and was placed on the Senate's General Order on February 25, 2026. The official record shows no full Senate vote after that.
The hydropower proposal discussed alongside these bills is the Pushmataha County pumped-storage project. It's on hold but hasn't been withdrawn. According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the project's licensing process was terminated in April 2025 because of deficiencies in the study plan. Its preliminary permit remains active into 2027, and reinstating the process would require a revised plan. The Journal Record's 2025 coverage tied that concern to the Kiamichi, not the Glover.
That leaves the Glover where it has always been. It's still free-flowing, still has no formal scenic designation, and is still at the mercy of the weather.
The rest of the fall calendar
The low river shares the season with a few fixed dates. Oklahoma's deer seasons for 2026 run as follows:
- Archery opened October 1 and runs through January 15, 2027.
- Youth deer gun runs October 16 through 18.
- Muzzleloader runs October 24 through November 1.
- Regular deer gun runs November 21 through December 6.
The same Three Rivers WMA permit applies to hunting on the timber company land the Glover runs through. There's one longer-term item to watch in the forest around the river. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service project led by the Ouachita National Forest would replace four low-water fords on tributaries of the Glover and Mountain Fork along the forest boundary in McCurtain County. The project page lists it as "In Development" with $1 million in funding.
The Glover gauge is the one to check before planning a trip. A dry fall can turn around fast on a river with no dam, and the same 65-year record that shows a 0.00 reading for October 6 also shows 24,800 cfs.
If you own land near the Glover or are thinking about buying some, a year like this tests everything about a property, from whether the creek in the listing photos still has water to which fords and gravel bars you can actually reach. Teresa Bartlett lives and works in this corner of McCurtain County and can help you work through those questions on a specific tract, in dry years and wet ones. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
