Mackay Creek Reservoir near Elkwater Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Mackay Creek Reservoir near Elkwater in AB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location AB, Canada
- Watershed seven persons
- Primary gauge 05AH056 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Mackay Creek Reservoir near Elkwater
Mackay Creek Reservoir near Elkwater is a gauged river in the Seven Persons watershed, Alberta.
What the record shows
The record spans more than 21 years. The highest level on record is 1186.8 m (3893.71 ft), in June 2010. The lowest is 1182.85 m (3880.75 ft), in March 2019.
The seasonal pattern is clear enough for anyone managing a dock, intake, or shoreline setup. The highest typical month is June, at 1186.38 m (3892.33 ft). The lowest typical month is February, at 1184.52 m (3886.22 ft). That makes the typical annual swing 1.86 m (6.1 ft). On this reservoir, that is a practical range: enough to change shore access, edge depths, and the amount of freeboard a small setup needs to tolerate.
The quickest 24-hour rise in the record is 30.9 cm (12.2 in), in May 2024. The fastest 24-hour drop is 38.9 cm (15.3 in), in September 2005. For people watching this water, those are the kinds of changes that matter over a day, not a season.
The watershed
This station sits in the Seven Persons watershed, where the broader seasonal rhythm still matters. In foothills and prairie country, the usual high-water period comes with late-spring snowmelt, while summer storms can bring sharp rises. That means the reservoir can move on both long and short timelines: a slower climb into early summer, then sudden jumps after a storm.
The gauge’s upstream area is 0.8 km2 (0.3 sq mi), so the water level here reflects a small catchment above the station. Small basins can respond quickly when rain falls hard.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is best read as today’s level against the median for this calendar day, not as a standalone elevation. Absolute level tells you where the water sits; the calendar-day median tells you whether it is running high or low for this date, based on this station’s own record.
That comparison is the useful one for day-to-day decisions. It puts the current reading beside the normal seasonal position at Mackay Creek Reservoir, which is the better way to judge shoreline access, a floating dock, or how much room remains for a change over the next few days.
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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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
