Afterbay Reservoir at Dam near McGehees Mill Water Level
Live lake level, flow, historical records and forecast for Afterbay Reservoir at Dam near McGehees Mill in NC, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Water body AFTERBAY RESERVOIR AT DAM NR MCGEHEES MILL
- Location NC, United States
- Watershed lower dan
- Primary gauge 0207730290 (USGS)
About Afterbay Reservoir at Dam near McGehees Mill
Afterbay Reservoir sits in the Lower Dan watershed, North Carolina.
What the record shows
The station record spans more than 31 years. The highest reading on record is 391.04 ft (119.19 m), set in July 2025. The lowest is 256.69 ft (78.24 m), set in October 1997.
The seasonal pattern is modest by lake standards. The typical high month is March at 380.47 ft (115.97 m), and the typical low month is October at 375.45 ft (114.44 m). That gives a typical annual swing of 5 ft (1.53 m). For shore access, dock float, and pumps set close to the surface, that is the range to plan around.
The regional note fits the seasonality here: winter and spring are usually the time to watch for higher water, while warm-season levels are often lower between storms. In this part of the country, a tropical system can still change the picture quickly.
The watershed
The station drains 202 sq mi (523 km2) upstream of the gauge. That is the area feeding this reading, not the full watershed on a map.
For people using the reservoir, that upstream area matters because it sets how fast the level can respond when rain falls over the basin. Bigger rises usually mean less warning for ramps, low banks, and anything left near the edge. Even without a listed 24-hour rise here, the record shows this is a waterbody that can move from one month to the next, and sometimes much faster when storms are involved.
Reading the hero number
Today’s reading is best judged against the median for this calendar day at this station, not against the absolute elevation alone. The absolute level tells you where the water sits right now; the median tells you whether it is high or low for this date.
This station is run by the USGS, and it has more than 31 years on record. On a page like this, the hero number is most useful when you read it beside the long-term daily context: that is what tells a boater, angler, or shoreline owner whether today is ordinary for the date or something farther from the usual range.
How this page is built
Readings come from official government gauges and are rolled into daily records: the daily mean, high and low for every day on record. Each calendar day gets its own baseline from the full history, so the level you see is compared against what this specific date usually looks like rather than an annual average.
How Nibi Metrics works · Water stories
Nibi Metrics - live water levels, flow, and forecasts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers across Canada, the US and the UK. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 13,000 gauged lakes and rivers across Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, and the Environment Agency for England. Every number on the platform is measured, not modelled - taken from a government gauge on the water itself and compared against that location's own historical record for this exact date.
What you can see for any monitored lake or river
The level right now, in feet or metres, updated as the source agency publishes new readings - for many stations that is every five to fifteen minutes. How today compares to typical: every location carries its own typical-for-this-date band built from its historical record, so a reading is never just a number - it is above, below, or near what this water usually does on this calendar day. Which way it is moving: a measured RISING, FALLING, or STEADY verdict computed from the gauge's own recent readings, with the rate of change - the difference between a flood ending and one beginning. What comes next: level forecasts up to 72 hours ahead, driven by the gauge's recent behaviour, upstream water, and quantitative precipitation forecasts, alongside live radar, lightning, and weather for the surrounding region.
Alerts that watch the water for you
Set a threshold on any location - a level, a distance above typical, or a rate of climb - and Nibi emails or notifies you the moment the gauge crosses it. Cottagers use it for spring freshet, anglers for river conditions, marinas and municipalities for operations. The scanning runs around the clock against the same measured data shown on every page.
Where Nibi comes from
Nibi means water in Anishinaabemowin. The platform began at a family cottage on Lake Muskoka, Ontario, where the spring melt floods the shoreline most years and the only forecast was standing on the dock, looking, and guessing. It grew into an independent, member-funded platform run by Muskoka Research Inc. - no investors, no data resale, and a privacy policy shorter than most cookie banners. The core data is free for everyone, forever; paid plans add automation like multi-location alerts, deep history, and reports.
Coverage
Nibi spans the continent: every Canadian province and territory with active federal gauges - from Vancouver Island rivers to the Muskoka lakes, prairie reservoirs, and Quebec's hydrometric network - and the United States from Maine to the Texas Hill Country, the Ohio Valley, and the Pacific Northwest. Coverage grows where the water news is: when a basin floods, its gauges join the platform with their full historical records attached. Many stations report every five to fifteen minutes; most report at least hourly; every page states exactly when its gauge last spoke.
Free forever, funded by members
The core promise is simple: the water data is free, for everyone, forever. Live levels, maps, radar, and recent history never sit behind a paywall. Paid plans fund the platform by adding automation - multi-location alerts, decades of history, longer forecasts, and PDF reports - so the people who need more carry the cost for everyone who just needs to check the lake before driving up. There are no investors and no advertising deals shaping what the data says.
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How every number is computed - About the platform
