WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
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Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Footprint River above Footprint Lake in Canada, MB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
Footprint River above Footprint Lake is in the Central Burntwood watershed in Manitoba.
The record at this station spans more than 48 years.
The highest level in the record is 30.23 m (99.16 ft), in June 2017. The lowest is 28.76 m (94.36 ft), in August 2003. That spread is what a dock, crossing, or intake has to live with here over the long term.
Seasonally, the river is usually highest in June at 29.65 m (97.26 ft) and lowest in March at 29.42 m (96.53 ft). The typical annual swing is 22.5 cm (8.9 in), so the usual year-to-year movement is much smaller than the record spread.
The fastest 24-hour rise is not available in the record provided.
The drainage area above this station is 638 km2 (246 sq mi). That is the water feeding the gauge, not the whole watershed name on the page.
In Prairie systems, spring snowmelt is the season to watch, with summer recession after that. For people living or fishing on this reach, that means the main operational question is how quickly the water comes up in spring, then how far it backs off later in the season.
The hero number on this page should be read against the median level for this calendar day at this station, over the record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it shows whether today sits high or low for this date, not just where the water is above sea level.
With more than 48 years on record, that daily comparison is the better way to judge whether the river is running near its usual range for the day.
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.
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