Edwards Branch at Sheffield DR at Charlotte Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Edwards Branch at Sheffield DR at Charlotte in NC, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location NC, United States
- Watershed lower catawba
- Primary gauge 0214643820 (USGS)
About Edwards Branch at Sheffield DR at Charlotte
Edwards Branch in the Lower Catawba watershed, North Carolina, is monitored at Sheffield DR at Charlotte.
The watershed
The gauge sits on a small catchment above the station of 1 sq mi (2.7 km2), so local rain can move the reading quickly. That makes this a reach where a short storm can matter more than regional averages.
The record on this site runs for more than 22 years. Over that span, the river has shown a fairly tight seasonal range. February is the highest typical month at 0.86 ft (0.26 m), while September is the lowest typical month at 0.74 ft (0.23 m). The typical annual swing is 1.4 in (3.6 cm), which is small enough that docks, crossings, and shallow intakes need to pay attention even when the change looks modest on paper.
What the numbers say
The record high is 2.26 ft (0.69 m) in September 2018. The record low is 0.41 ft (0.13 m) in August 2015. Those two values frame what this branch can do in dry and wet periods: the site can sit near the lower end for a long stretch, then jump well above its usual band.
The seasonal pattern also fits a rain-fed stream in this part of the country: higher water in late winter and lower water in late summer. For anyone fishing or maintaining a bank-side pipe, the message is simple: winter and storm periods bring the higher-water end of the range, and late summer is when shallow conditions are most likely.
Reading the hero number
Today’s reading is best judged against the median for this calendar day, not against the absolute elevation of the gauge. That comparison shows whether the branch is running high or low for the season right now, which is more useful than a single height number.
This station is an USGS site, and its record covers more than 22 years. When you check the hero number, think of it as a day-to-day position within the station’s own history: a clean way to judge whether the river is behaving normally for the date or sitting well above or below its usual range.
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.
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