WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Beaver Run near Finksburg in MD, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Beaver Run near Finksburg is in the Gunpowder-Patapsco watershed in Maryland.
The station drains 14 sq mi (36.3 km2) upstream of the gauge. That is the area that sets the response here: rain on that ground reaches this point, not the whole watershed beyond it.
With 44 years on record, the site has enough history to show a clear seasonal pattern. The highest typical month is March at 1.02 ft (0.31 m), and the lowest typical month is July at 0.8 ft (0.24 m). That 2.7 in (6.8 cm) annual swing is modest, but it still matters for shallow crossings, small intakes, and fish habitat.
The record high is 2.81 ft (0.86 m) in April 2014. The record low is 0.24 ft (0.07 m) in October 2007. Those two marks show the range this stream has already reached at this gauge.
For people who live or fish here, the spring side of the record matters most for high water, while the summer low end is the period to watch for reduced depth and tighter margins at riffles and crossings. The record set also shows that this small basin can move from low to high within the same gauge history, even if the typical annual swing is not large.
The hero number on this page is the current reading placed against the median for this calendar day from the station record, not against a fixed elevation alone. That comparison is better because a river level that is ordinary in one season can be unusual in another.
This station is operated by the USGS, and the 44 years on record give that daily median real weight. The best read is whether today is standing above or below what this day usually looks like here.
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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