Oldman River at Range Road No. 13a Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Oldman River at Range Road No. 13a in Canada, AB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location Canada, AB, Canada
- Watershed upper oldman
- Primary gauge 05AA035 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Oldman River at Range Road No. 13a
What the record shows
The Oldman River at Range Road No. 13a in Alberta has a short record, but the spread in that record is already clear.
The highest level on record is 8.71 m (28.59 ft) in June 2013. The lowest is 5.56 m (18.23 ft) in February 2021. That gap matters for anyone keeping a dock, pump intake, or bank access in working shape: the river has moved through a wide range in just 16 years.
The seasonal pattern is also plain. The typical high point comes in May at 6.3 m (20.65 ft), while the typical low point comes in October at 5.84 m (19.16 ft). The typical annual swing is 45.4 cm (17.9 in), which is enough to change edge water, shallow approach depths, and the margin before a low intake starts to feel the drop.
The sharpest one-day rise on record is 2.35 m (7.7 ft) in June 2013. That is the kind of move that cuts warning time down fast for anyone watching a crossing, bank, or low-lying access.
The watershed
This gauge drains 1840 km2 (710 sq mi) upstream of the station. That is the area contributing water to this reading, not the full Upper Oldman name on the map.
The regional rhythm here is familiar for foothills and prairie rivers: snowmelt usually builds the late-spring rise, and summer storms can still push the river up hard and fast. For neighbours along the banks, that means two different kinds of attention: a slower spring climb that can last into May, and sudden summer jumps that can arrive with little lead time.
The river’s monthly pattern fits that setting. May is usually the highest month, and October the lowest. If you are fishing, working irrigation, or checking access to a riverbank, that swing is the part to watch first.
Reading the hero number
The number on the page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for this same calendar day across the station record. That puts the river against its own normal for the date, instead of against a fixed elevation that can hide whether the water is running high, low, or close to usual.
With 16 years on record, this station gives a useful local reference, even if it is not a long one.
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 17,900+ lakes and rivers
Real-time water levels, forecasts, and alerts for lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries. Built on official government data.
Nibi Metrics tracks more than 17,900 gauged lakes and rivers in a growing number of countries, reading directly from official federal monitoring networks: the Water Survey of Canada, the United States Geological Survey, Quebec's provincial hydrometric network, the Environment Agency for England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Natural Resources Wales, the Office of Public Works in Ireland (waterlevel.ie), the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), the State of Queensland's water monitoring network, and on the Great Lakes the Canadian Hydrographic Service and NOAA. 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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