East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City in IA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location IA, United States
- Watershed east fork des moines
- Primary gauge 05479000 (USGS)
About East Fork Des Moines River at Dakota City
East Fork Des Moines River in the East Fork Des Moines watershed in Iowa.
Season by season
Spring is the season that usually matters most here. The river’s highest typical month is June at 10.92 ft (3.33 m), while the lowest typical month is September at 7.75 ft (2.36 m). That is a typical annual swing of 3.2 ft (96.6 cm), enough to change how far a boat ramp, intake, or low bank stays in the water through the year.
For people watching fields and crossings, that seasonal shape means water can be higher into early summer, then ease back toward late summer and early fall. The upstream drainage area at this station is 1308 sq mi (3388 km2), so water moving through the gauge reflects a large land area above Dakota City.
Records and rises
The highest recorded level is 21.45 ft (6.54 m), set in June 2024. The lowest recorded level is 7.05 ft (2.15 m), set in August 2021. Those two marks show the range this river can cover at this station over time.
The record low is close to the usual September level, but the record high sits far above the normal June level. For anyone with a dock, pump, or bank access point, that gap is the number to respect.
No fastest 24-hour rise is listed in the facts for this station, so there is no rise-rate figure to use here.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is the current reading set beside the median for the same calendar day, not just the raw level. That comparison matters because a plain elevation can look normal in one month and high in another. The date-matched median shows whether the river is running above or below its usual pattern for this time of year.
This station has 50 years on record, and it is a USGS site, so that day-by-day comparison comes from a long local history.
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.
Water Stories
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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.
How every number is computed - About the platform
