WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Loading…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Coquitlam River above Coquitlam Lake in Canada, BC, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
The Coquitlam River above Coquitlam Lake sits in the Lower Fraser - Coast watershed in British Columbia.
This station drains 49.1 km2 (19 sq mi) upstream of the gauge, so the numbers describe the river at this point, not the whole watershed. For nearby users, that matters because changes here can show up quickly in the reach above the lake.
The record shows a wide spread between ordinary conditions and flood or drought extremes. The highest level on record was 3.1 m (10.18 ft) in February 2015. The lowest was 1.59 m (5.21 ft) in March 2019. That range is what docks, intakes, and access points have to live within over time.
Seasonally, the river is highest in May at 1.99 m (6.53 ft) and lowest in September at 1.68 m (5.52 ft). The typical annual swing is 30.8 cm (12.1 in). For a river user, that means the water usually moves through a fairly narrow band through the year, but not a flat one.
The fastest 24-hour rise in the record was 87.4 cm (34.4 in) in November 2015. The fastest 24-hour drop was 91.3 cm (35.9 in) in November 2021. Those changes are large enough to shorten the time between a normal stage and a level that matters for bank access, crossing points, and equipment left near the water.
The 44 years on record give enough history to see the pattern, not just one season. In this part of British Columbia, the broader mountain pattern is a spring freshet, with snowmelt often driving higher water from May to July.
The hero number on this page is most useful when set against the median for this calendar day, not against the absolute level alone. Raw elevation tells you where the water sits right now; the calendar-day median tells you whether it is running high or low for the date, which is the part that helps with day-to-day decisions.
With more than 44 years on record, that comparison gives a better sense of context for fishing plans, shoreline work, and watching for change than a single reading on its own.
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 in a growing number of countries. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 17,900 gauged lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, the Environment Agency for England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Office of Public Works in Ireland (waterlevel.ie), the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), the State of Queensland's water monitoring network, and on the Great Lakes the Canadian Hydrographic Service and NOAA. 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.
Field notes and explainers from the Nibi desk - how to read a staff gauge, what a 100-year flood actually means, how snowpack becomes summer water.
The largest lake in Norway read under 8 metres for decades and reads over 120 today. The water did not move; the ruler did. What the zero of a gauge is, why a record only means something on one reference, and what we do when the zero moves.
There was no rain. A slab of glacier let go above the Trishuli, and a river gauge reading normal at 8:40 was silent by 8:50. What a river network can see coming, what it cannot, and what warning has to look like when the water outruns the news.
For five years, spring 2019 was the mark every Lake Muskoka decision answered to. In April 2026 the lake went two centimeters higher - and the official books have not caught up yet.
Inside the freshet cycle that puts Manitoba shorelines at risk each year - and why 2026 broke the script.
The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
Why Central and South Texas rivers go from gravel beds to fifty-year records in an afternoon - including July 2026 on the Nueces.
One percent, every year, forever - unwrapping hydrology's most misunderstood phrase, and how it differs from our own percentiles.