Elk River near Milner, CO. Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Elk River near Milner, CO. in CO, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location CO, United States
- Watershed upper yampa
- Primary gauge 09242500 (USGS)
About Elk River near Milner, CO.
The Elk River near Milner sits in the Upper Yampa watershed in Colorado.
What the record shows
This station has more than 36 years on record with the USGS.
The record high is 7.51 ft (2.29 m), set in May 2023. The record low is 1.15 ft (0.35 m), set in August 2025. That spread matters for docks, intakes, and any bank work: this river can sit very low and then reach a much higher stage in a different season.
The seasonal pattern is clear. May is the highest month on average at 4.25 ft (1.3 m), while September is the lowest month on average at 1.45 ft (0.44 m). The typical annual swing is 33.6 in (85.4 cm). For a river user, that is the range a crossing, pump setup, or shoreline access has to handle through the year.
No fastest 24-hour rise is listed here, so this page gives the longer seasonal picture rather than a short-warning flood signal.
The watershed
This gauge drains 448 sq mi (1,160 km2) upstream of the station. That is the catchment for this location, not the whole Upper Yampa watershed.
For neighbours, that means the number on this page reflects water arriving from the area above the gauge only. It is the right scale for understanding what this reach can carry, what the bank line may see, and how much headroom there is between a low September stage and the higher May season.
The regional pattern here is snowmelt-dominated mountain hydrology: a pronounced May-June peak, long low-flow winters, and short sharp summer rises when thunderstorms hit. The record and seasonal numbers on this station fit that kind of calendar.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is today’s reading against the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation because a river stage has to be read against its usual level for the same day of the year.
USGS provides this station’s data, and with more than 36 years on record, that comparison is anchored in a long local history. For cottagers, anglers, and flood-watchers, it shows whether the river is running above or below its normal standing for today, not just how high the water is in absolute terms.
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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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.
How every number is computed - About the platform
