Foston Brook at Horsebottoms Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Foston Brook at Horsebottoms in England, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
- Location England, United Kingdom
- Primary gauge ea-4168 (Environment Agency)
About Foston Brook at Horsebottoms
Foston Brook at Horsebottoms is a gauged river in England.
What the record shows
The station has more than 25 years on record. The highest level in that span was 1.44 m (4.71 ft) in October 2023, and the lowest was 0.25 m (0.83 ft) in August 2003.
The seasonal pattern is modest but clear. January is the usual high month at 0.45 m (1.46 ft), while August is the usual low month at 0.34 m (1.12 ft). That annual swing is 10.6 cm (4.2 in), so a small change in depth is normal here through the year.
For anyone using the brook, that means the edge of the channel can change enough to matter for shallow access, but the record also shows that the water can sit well above its summer level when conditions turn wet.
The watershed
This page is about the gauge reach at Horsebottoms, not a broader basin. For a brook like this in temperate hydrology, the broad pattern is a higher winter or spring stage and lower water in summer. January sits at the top of the typical cycle here, and August sits at the bottom.
That is the rhythm to watch if you farm nearby, keep a bank-side path, or fish the brook. The difference between the seasonal high and low is not large in absolute terms, but on a small watercourse it is enough to change margins, cover, and access.
Reading the hero number
The number shown on this page is most useful when set against the median for the same calendar day, not read as a raw height on its own. A river level can be high for summer and ordinary for winter, so the day-matched median gives the cleaner signal.
This station is operated by the Environment Agency. With more than 25 years of record behind it, the page can place today’s reading in context: whether the brook is running near its usual level for this date, or standing above or below that long-running baseline.
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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