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—— ft above typical
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Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Kvichak R at Igiugig AK in AK, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Kvichak River at Igiugig sits in the Lake Iliamna watershed in Alaska.
This USGS station has more than 50 years on record. The highest reading in that record is 15.08 ft (4.6 m), reached in September 2023. The lowest is 10.83 ft (3.3 m), reached in April 2026.
The seasonal pattern is fairly tight for a river with this much water upstream. The highest typical month is September at 14.59 ft (4.45 m), and the lowest typical month is April at 11.55 ft (3.52 m). That is a typical annual swing of 3 ft (92.5 cm). For a dock, intake, or bank landing, that means the river stays within a band, but the difference between early spring and late season is still enough to matter.
The record itself follows that same shape in broad terms, with the highest and lowest marks both falling in the months the station tends to show its extremes.
The station drains 6,400 square miles (16,576 km2) upstream of the gauge.
That is the area feeding this reading, not the larger watershed name on the page. For anyone watching the river for fishing access or water levels, the upstream area matters because it sets how much water can arrive at this point when conditions change across the basin.
The hero number on this page should be read against the median for this calendar day at this station, not as a stand-alone elevation.
That comparison is better because river stage only becomes useful when you know what is normal for the same day of the year. On the same numeric scale, 12 ft can be high one week and ordinary another week. The daily median shows whether the river is running above or below its usual level for this date.
This reading comes from the USGS station record, with more than 50 years of observations behind 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 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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