Passaic R at Passaic (Great) Falls at Paterson NJ Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Passaic R at Passaic (Great) Falls at Paterson NJ in NJ, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location NJ, United States
- Watershed hackensack passaic
- Primary gauge 01389802 (USGS)
About Passaic R at Passaic (Great) Falls at Paterson NJ
Passaic R at Passaic (Great) Falls at Paterson NJ is a gauged river in the Hackensack-Passaic watershed, New Jersey.
Season by season
At this station, the seasonal range is small: the typical annual swing is 7.6 in (19.4 cm). The highest typical month is December at 115.9 ft (35.33 m), while the lowest typical month is September at 115.26 ft (35.13 m). For anyone watching a dock, bank edge, or intake, that says the river usually stays close to a narrow band through the year, even though the broader region can still see bigger flood pulses in winter-spring rain and from tropical systems or their remnants.
The station’s catchment above the gauge is 779 sq mi (2018 km2). That is the drainage area feeding this reading point, so rises here can reflect what happens across a broad upstream area, not just the channel beside the falls.
Records and rises
The highest level in the record is 122.41 ft (37.31 m), reached in August 2011. The lowest is 113.98 ft (34.74 m), reached in June 2011. Those two marks show how far this reach can move in a single year: the river has a modest typical swing, but it can also make a much larger jump when conditions line up for it.
With 18 years on record, this gauge gives a useful local frame for what is normal and what is not. If you fish here or check water against a bank, the record highs and lows are the edges of the reach this site has already shown.
Reading the hero number
This page’s hero number is the current reading, and the useful comparison is the median for the same calendar day across the station’s record, not the raw elevation by itself. A level can look ordinary in feet and still be high for this date, or look low and still sit near the usual for the season.
The station is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. With more than 18 years on record, the day-median comparison helps place today’s reading in the river’s own history at this gauge.
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
