Pilot Creek at County Highway P15 near Rolfe Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Pilot Creek at County Highway P15 near Rolfe in IA, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location IA, United States
- Watershed upper des moines
- Primary gauge 05476735 (USGS)
About Pilot Creek at County Highway P15 near Rolfe
Pilot Creek at County Highway P15 near Rolfe is a gauged river in the Upper Des Moines watershed, Iowa.
The watershed
This gauge sits on a small Iowa creek watched through 17 years on record. In prairie-midwest hydrology, that means the sharpest changes usually come with spring snowmelt and rain on frozen or saturated ground, then again with summer storms. For people along the creek, the key question is not just how high it gets, but how fast it can move from one day to the next.
The record high is 10.5 ft (3.2 m), set in June 2014. The record low is 1.26 ft (0.38 m), set in August 2016. That spread matters on the ground: a low channel can leave shallow crossings and intakes exposed, while a high crest can push water into low banks and short overflows.
What the numbers say
Pilot Creek is usually highest in May at 3.3 ft (1 m). It is usually lowest in September at 1.81 ft (0.55 m). The typical annual swing is 17.8 in (45.3 cm).
That seasonal shape is useful for planning around docks, pumps, and field edges. May is the month to watch for higher water, while September is the time when the creek is more likely to run lower and slower. The swing is not extreme, but it is enough to matter when a landing, culvert, or intake sits near the margin.
Reading the hero number
The number shown on the page should be read against the median for this calendar day, not as a standalone elevation. That comparison tells you whether the creek is running above or below its usual level for this date, which is the part that matters for access, fishing, and flood watch.
For this station, the reference record is 17 years. The gauge is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey.
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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How every number is computed - About the platform
