Mackenzie River (napoiak Channel) above Shallow Bay Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Mackenzie River (napoiak Channel) above Shallow Bay in NT, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location NT, Canada
- Watershed lower peel and western mackenzie delta
- Primary gauge 10MC023 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Mackenzie River (napoiak Channel) above Shallow Bay
Mackenzie River (napoiak Channel) above Shallow Bay is a gauged river in the Lower Peel and Western Mackenzie Delta watershed in NT, Canada.
What the record shows
This station has 20 years on record. The highest level in the file is 14.3 m (46.91 ft), reached in May 2006. The lowest is 0.83 m (2.73 ft), reached in October 1998.
The seasonal range is modest by river standards. May is the typical high month at 11.86 m (38.91 ft), while December is the typical low month at 10.53 m (34.54 ft). That puts the usual annual swing at 1.33 m (4.4 ft).
For people using the river, that means the surface usually changes by less than the record span suggests, but the difference between late spring and early winter is still enough to matter for docks, landings, and shallow approaches. In this part of the North, spring breakup and snowmelt set the pace, while winter tends to hold the river low under ice.
The watershed
This gauge sits in the Lower Peel and Western Mackenzie Delta watershed, so it reflects one channel in a larger delta network rather than the whole system at once. In subarctic hydrology, the key pattern is simple: water is highest around spring, then often steadies or falls through the winter low-flow season, with short-lived summer changes layered on top.
That is the rhythm to watch if you live on the channel or fish nearby. May tends to be the time when water is highest here, and December the time when it is lowest. The 1.33 m (4.4 ft) swing is not huge, but it is enough to shift edges, bars, and access points from one season to the next.
Reading the hero number
The number shown at the top of the page is most useful when you read it against the median for the same calendar day in this station’s record, not as a raw elevation by itself. A level on its own says little; a level compared with the usual value for today shows whether the river is running close to its normal seasonal position or well away from it.
With 20 years on record, that day-by-day comparison gives a better sense of what matters on the water: whether a current reading is ordinary for this date, or whether it has moved enough to change access, shoreline conditions, or travel plans.
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.
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