WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Inl Diversion at Head near Arco ID in ID, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Inl Diversion at Head is in the Big Lost watershed in Idaho.
Across more than 42 years on record, this station reached a high of 54.79 ft (16.7 m) in January 2018 and a low of 47.93 ft (14.61 m) in March 2025.
The seasonal pattern here is very flat. February is the highest typical month at 48.01 ft (14.63 m), and January is the lowest typical month at 48 ft (14.63 m). The typical annual swing is 0 in (0.1 cm).
For anyone watching water levels at a dock, intake, or bank, that means the usual year-to-year movement is small. The larger concern is the record range: the station has shown it can move well above and below its typical level.
This gauge sits in the Big Lost basin, where the station reads the water passing this point, not the watershed as a whole. That matters because the number reflects what reaches this location upstream of the gauge.
The regional snowmelt pattern for this part of the West is a spring rise from high-elevation snowpack, with lower summer water and the chance of winter floods when rain falls on snow in lower basins. At this station, the record summary is the best guide to what has actually happened here.
The hero number is today’s reading compared with the median for this calendar day across the station’s record. That is more useful than raw elevation alone because it places the current level against the normal pattern for this date.
This page is based on USGS data and more than 42 years of record, so the median has a solid local baseline. For neighbours, that makes the hero number a quick check on whether today sits near the usual range for this day or stands well above or below it.
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 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.
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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