Kennebec River at Gardiner, Maine Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Kennebec River at Gardiner, Maine in ME, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location ME, United States
- Watershed lower kennebec river
- Primary gauge 01049505 (USGS)
About Kennebec River at Gardiner, Maine
The Kennebec River at Gardiner, Maine is in the Lower Kennebec River watershed in Maine.
The watershed
This USGS gauge drains 5760 sq mi (14918 km2) above the station, so the water here reflects a large upstream area, not just the reach beside town. For people living or fishing on the river, that size matters because the level can change on conditions set far upstream.
The seasonal pattern is clear. The typical high month is April at 3.63 ft (1.11 m), and the typical low month is September at 1.98 ft (0.6 m). That is a normal swing of 19.8 in (50.3 cm) over the year. In New England, that fits the spring snowmelt freshet and the later-season low-water period that cottagers and anglers plan around.
The record shows the reach can move well beyond that seasonal range. The highest level in the record is 15.88 ft (4.84 m) in December 2023, and the lowest is 0.54 ft (0.17 m) in February 2025. Those are the kinds of extremes that matter for docks, intakes, and shore access.
What the numbers say
With 19 years on record, this gauge has enough history to show both the usual cycle and the outliers. April tends to be the month to watch for rising water, while September is the month when low levels are most likely to show up in daily use.
The record low in February 2025 is a reminder that winter can bring very shallow water here as well. The record high in December 2023 shows that the reach can also run high outside the spring freshet.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is best read against the median level for the same calendar day in the station’s record, not as a raw height on its own. A single water level tells you where the river stands right now; the calendar-day median tells you whether it is running above or below its usual place for this date.
This gauge is operated by the USGS, and its 19 years of record make that comparison more useful than a one-day reading alone. For anyone using the river day to day, the question is not just how high it is, but how that reading sits within the local pattern for this time of year.
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
Field notes and explainers from the Nibi desk - how to read a staff gauge, what a 100-year flood actually means, how snowpack becomes summer water.
For five years, spring 2019 was the mark every Lake Muskoka decision answered to. In April 2026 the lake went two centimeters higher - and the official books have not caught up yet.
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
