Portneuf River at Topaz ID Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Portneuf River at Topaz ID in ID, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location ID, United States
- Watershed portneuf 0208
- Primary gauge 13073000 (USGS)
About Portneuf River at Topaz ID
The Portneuf River at Topaz ID is in the Portneuf watershed in Idaho.
What the record shows
Over the record, the highest water level was 4.87 ft (1.49 m) in May 2023, and the lowest was 1.25 ft (0.38 m) in September 2012. That spread matters for anyone watching a dock, pump intake, or bank access: this river can move through a wide range between its high and low marks.
The seasonal pattern is clear. The typical high point comes in May at 3.06 ft (0.93 m), and the typical low point is in September at 2.43 ft (0.74 m). The typical annual swing is 7.6 in (19.3 cm). For anglers, that means the channel often has more water in late spring than in late summer. For cottagers and farmers drawing water, late summer is the tighter season to watch.
There is no fastest 24-hour rise value in the facts here, so I won’t guess at warning time.
The watershed
The gauge drains 576 sq mi (1,492 km2) upstream of the station. That is the area feeding this measurement point, not the whole Portneuf basin. The station has 50 years on record, so its monthly pattern is worth taking seriously when comparing one season to the next.
The regional snowmelt note fits the record shape: the highest month is in spring, and the lowest month is in late summer. On this river, that means the spring window is the one to watch for higher water, while late summer is when shallow conditions are more likely to matter for access and water use.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is meant to be read against the median for this calendar day, not as a raw elevation by itself. That comparison tells you whether the river is running above or below its usual level for today.
This station is a USGS site, and with 50 years on record, the day-to-day median gives a better local check than a single height alone. A number that looks ordinary in feet can still be high for this date, or low for this date, and that is the difference that matters for fishing, intakes, and flood watching.
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
