WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Aspen C above Leviathan Mine near Markleeville CA in CA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Aspen C above Leviathan Mine near Markleeville CA is in the Upper Carson watershed in California.
The station record spans more than 23 years. The highest water level in that record is 5.21 ft (1.59 m), in May 2017. The lowest is 0.21 ft (0.07 m), in September 2022.
The seasonal pattern is clear. Typical highs come in April at 4.32 ft (1.32 m), while typical lows come in June at 0.68 ft (0.21 m). That is a typical annual swing of 3.6 ft (1.11 m).
For anyone using this water, that range matters. A dock, crossing, or intake that sits close to the low end needs to handle very shallow water in early summer. At the other end, the record high shows how far the channel can rise during a wet year.
The gauge drains 0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2) above the station. That is the area contributing water to this reading, not the whole Upper Carson watershed.
The regional rhythm here fits a mountain basin: spring and early-summer peaks, then long dry summers with low flows. The station record reflects that seasonality, with the highest typical level in April and the lowest in June.
The hero number on this page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for the same calendar day across this station’s record. That tells you whether the water is ordinary for this date, not just whether the level is numerically high or low.
Raw elevation by itself can mislead, because a level that looks modest in one month may be high for another. The calendar-day median puts the reading in seasonal context, which is what matters for shoreline access, crossings, and fish habitat.
This station is published by the USGS, and its record runs for more than 23 years.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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