Ottauquechee River near West Bridgewater Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Ottauquechee River near West Bridgewater in VT, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location VT, United States
- Watershed black river connecticut river
- Primary gauge 01150900 (USGS)
About Ottauquechee River near West Bridgewater
The Ottauquechee River near West Bridgewater is in the Black River-Connecticut River watershed in Vermont.
The watershed
This gauge watches 23.4 sq mi (60.6 km2) upstream of the station. That is the drainage area feeding the river at this point, not the whole watershed name on the page.
For people using the river day to day, the main pattern is a small seasonal swing and occasional sharp jumps. The typical high comes in April at 3.62 ft (1.1 m), and the typical low comes in September at 2.82 ft (0.86 m). The typical annual swing is 9.5 in (24.2 cm), so docks, shallow crossings, and intakes should expect some movement through the year, but not a huge seasonal shift.
The record high is 8.46 ft (2.58 m), reached in July 2023. The record low is 2.37 ft (0.72 m), reached in October 2007. That gap tells you the river can move far outside its usual range when runoff is strong.
What the numbers say
April is the month to watch for the usual freshet pattern. September is the quietest month on the record. In a New England mountain river, spring snowmelt often sets the seasonal high, while summer low flows can tighten margins for draft, shoreline access, and fish habitat.
The fast-rise number is not available here, so the best warning signal on this page is the spread between the typical month and the extremes. When the river is already near its April typical level, there is less room before it reaches higher water. When it is near the September typical level, shallow features become more exposed.
Reading the hero number
The hero number is today’s reading set against the median for this calendar day across the 42-year USGS record. That is more useful than raw elevation because the same water level can mean different things in April and September.
USGS is the operating agency. Comparing to the calendar-day median shows whether the river is running higher or lower than normal for this date, which is what matters for access, erosion, and low-water use.
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
Field notes and explainers from the Nibi desk - how to read a staff gauge, what a 100-year flood actually means, how snowpack becomes summer water.
For five years, spring 2019 was the mark every Lake Muskoka decision answered to. In April 2026 the lake went two centimeters higher - and the official books have not caught up yet.
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
