This dataset contains water level data collected at 18 playas starting in June 2016 for a long-term study of playa inundation at the Jornada Basin LTER site in southern New Mexico, U.S.A. Playas are located throughout the Jornada Basin and are instrumented with dataloggers and attached pressure transducers located at the lowest point of each playa. Instantaneous measurements of surface water level are made every 15 minutes. Data are processed to flag errors and identify periods of playa inundation (floods). This is an ongoing study and the dataset will be updated yearly.