WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Ocmulgee River at GA 18, at Dames Ferry in GA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
The Ocmulgee River in the Upper Ocmulgee watershed in Georgia is monitored at Dames Ferry.
February is the typical high month here, at 4.82 ft (1.47 m), while September is the typical low month, at 3.41 ft (1.04 m). That is a typical annual swing of 17 in (43.2 cm), which is enough to change how much clearance a dock, pump intake, or crossing sees over the year.
The regional pattern fits a rain-driven river: winter and spring are the wetter stretch, and warm-season levels can ease off between storms. For someone using this reach, that means the river often gives more water in the cooler months and less margin in late summer.
The record high is 18.32 ft (5.58 m) in December 2015. The record low is 2.95 ft (0.9 m) in September 2011. Those two ends show the range this station has seen in 17 years on record.
There is no fastest 24-hour rise listed in the facts here, so I will not add a number that is not on the page. If you watch this river for flooding, the record high is the clearest reminder that large jumps can happen, especially in the wetter part of the year and during hurricane season storms.
The hero number on this page is meant to be read against the median for the same calendar day, not just as a raw height. That comparison tells you whether today is running above or below what is normal for this date at this station.
This station is USGS, and the record spans more than 17 years. For cottagers, anglers, and anyone checking access or flood risk, the day-median view is the better guide because it puts today’s reading into the station’s own history instead of treating every foot of water the same.
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 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.
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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