WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Cumberland Sound at Sea Camp Dock, near ST Marys in GA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
Cumberland Sound at Sea Camp Dock, near ST Marys is a gauged river in the Cumberland-St. Simons watershed, Georgia.
This reach runs highest in October, when the typical level is 0.38 ft (0.12 m), and lowest in January, when the typical level is -0.57 ft (-0.17 m). That spread matters for a dock, a shoreline pump, or anything set to one fixed height: the water can sit well above its winter mark for part of the year, then drop back before the next cold-season rise.
The typical annual swing is 11.4 in (29 cm). For people who launch from the same bank or keep gear in the same spot, that is enough to change how far a float reaches, how much ladder you need, and where shallow edges become workable again.
The regional pattern here is rain-driven. Winter and spring rains do most of the lifting, while warm-season flows often ease between storms. In late summer and fall, tropical systems can still push water up fast, so the season does not settle into one steady level.
The station record spans 16 years. Within that window, the high point reached 3.35 ft (1.02 m) in September 2017, while the low point fell to -2.4 ft (-0.73 m) in December 2010. Those two marks show the reach can move through a wide range, even if day-to-day conditions are usually much smaller.
For anyone fishing this water or checking access from shore, the record high is the reminder that a calm surface today does not set the ceiling for the season. The record low is the other side of the same story: edges that are reachable in wetter months may sit exposed when the water slips down.
The hero number on this page is today’s reading set against the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record. That is the better number to watch because it puts today in context for this spot, rather than judging it against a fixed elevation alone.
At this USGS station, that comparison is built from more than 16 years of record. It tells you whether the river is running above or below its usual level for the date, which is the difference that matters for a dock, a bank approach, or a quick decision before heading out.
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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