Mackay Reservoir near Mackay ID Water Level
Live lake level, flow, historical records and forecast for Mackay Reservoir near Mackay ID in ID, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location ID, United States
- Watershed big lost
- Primary gauge 13126000 (USGS)
About Mackay Reservoir near Mackay ID
Mackay Reservoir sits in the Big Lost watershed in Idaho.
The watershed
The station drains 797 sq mi (2,064 km2) upstream of the gauge. That is the area feeding this reading, not the whole watershed label on the map.
For a reservoir in a mountain-snowmelt basin, the seasonal pattern matters. Here the typical high point is June at 63.29 ft (19.29 m), and the typical low point is October at 33.11 ft (10.09 m). The typical annual swing is 30.2 ft (9.2 m), so docks, pumps, and intakes need room for a wide range of water levels.
The record high is 67.29 ft (20.51 m) in June 2009. The record low is 7.93 ft (2.42 m) in September 2023. Those two ends tell you what this reservoir has already shown: a broad operating range, with very low water possible late in the season.
What the numbers say
The seasonal peak in June fits the mountain snowmelt rhythm described for this region. The typical low in October lines up with the long low-flow late summer and early fall period. For anyone using the shoreline, that means the waterline can move a long way between early summer and autumn.
No fastest 24-hour rise is available in the facts here, so there is no short-warning number to read from this page. In practice, that leaves the seasonal swing and the record high and low as the best markers for planning around access, mooring, and shallow-water limits.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is the current reservoir level, compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation alone, because it tells you whether today is ordinary for this date or well above or below the usual pattern.
This station has more than 19 years on record, and the source is the USGS. Over a record that long, the calendar-day median is the cleaner reference for day-to-day use on the water.
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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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
