Kootenay Lake Water Level
Live lake level, flow, historical records and forecast for Kootenay Lake in Kootenay Land District, BC, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location Kootenay Land District, BC, Canada
- Watershed lower kootenay
- Primary gauge 08NH064 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Kootenay Lake
Kootenay Lake sits in the Lower Kootenay watershed in British Columbia.
What the record shows
The station record runs for more than 95 years, so the seasonal pattern here is well established. The highest level in the record is 537.03 m (1761.92 ft), set in June 1961. The lowest level in the record is 529.56 m (1737.41 ft), set in April 1944.
The usual annual shape is smaller than those extremes but still matters for docks, intakes, and shoreline access. June is the typical high month at 533.17 m (1749.25 ft), while April is the typical low month at 530.28 m (1739.77 ft). That gives a typical annual swing of 2.89 m (9.5 ft).
For people using the lake, that means the water can sit at very different levels across the year. A fixed dock, pump, or landing spot has to tolerate that range.
The watershed
The gauge drains 45500 km2 (17568 sq mi) above the station, so the level at Queens Bay reflects a large upstream area rather than just the shoreline nearby.
The seasonal note fits a mountain watershed: freshet often builds from snowpack and commonly peaks from May to July. In some years, that timing can keep levels elevated well into summer. The record here still shows June as the usual high month and April as the usual low month.
For users around the lake, the key point is simple: the level can change enough over a year to affect access, storage clearance, and shoreline works. The median seasonal pattern is the best guide for planning around those changes.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is best read against the median for the same calendar day across the station’s full record, not as a raw elevation on its own. That comparison tells you whether today sits high or low for this date, which is more useful than the absolute level alone.
For more than 95 years of record, that day-by-day context is the cleanest way to judge what today means for the lake.
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 17,900+ lakes and rivers
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.
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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How every number is computed - About the platform
