Lizard Creek near Fort Dodge Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Lizard Creek near Fort Dodge in IA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location IA, United States
- Watershed middle des moines
- Primary gauge 05480080 (USGS)
About Lizard Creek near Fort Dodge
Lizard Creek near Fort Dodge is a gauged river in the Middle Des Moines watershed, Iowa.
What the record shows
The station has more than 17 years of record, and the range is wide enough to matter for docks, crossings, and low banks. The high-water mark is 14.39 ft (4.39 m) in June 2018. The low point is 4.06 ft (1.24 m) in August 2021.
The seasonal pattern is lower and steadier than the flood peaks, but still noticeable. The typical high month is May at 5.86 ft (1.79 m), while the typical low month is September at 4.51 ft (1.38 m). That typical annual swing is 16.1 in (40.9 cm), which is enough to change how a shallow intake or landing sits through the season.
For people living or fishing on the creek, the record says to watch spring and early-summer water first. May is usually the high point, but the station has also seen a much larger rise than the seasonal average when conditions line up for flooding.
The watershed
The catchment above this station is 275 sq mi (712 km2). In a prairie-midwest setting, that size can respond quickly when snowmelt and rain land on frozen or already wet ground, and it can also rise sharply after summer storms.
That means the creek can move from a low, manageable stage to a much higher one without much warning when runoff is efficient. The seasonal low in September is part of the normal rhythm, but it is not the whole story for property near the channel, because flood months can sit far above that baseline.
Reading the hero number
The number shown on the page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for this calendar day, not with a fixed elevation alone. A raw stage can look ordinary until you set it against what Lizard Creek usually carries on the same date.
That comparison is the one that tells you whether the creek is running close to its usual level, higher than normal, or low for the season. The station record comes from the USGS, and with more than 17 years of history, that daily median gives a better read on where the creek stands right now.
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
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How every number is computed - About the platform
