Rio Chama above Chama Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Rio Chama above Chama in NM, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location NM, United States
- Watershed rio chama
- Primary gauge 08281400 (USGS)
About Rio Chama above Chama
The Rio Chama above Chama is in the Rio Chama watershed in New Mexico.
What the record shows
USGS has more than 12 years of record here.
The highest level in the file is 5.45 ft (1.66 m) in May 2023, and the lowest is 1.03 ft (0.31 m) in August 2025. That spread matters for anyone using the river edge, a crossing, or a withdrawal point: the channel has already shown it can move from a spring high to a late-summer low within the same record.
The usual seasonal pattern peaks in May at 2.65 ft (0.81 m) and bottoms out in September at 1.44 ft (0.44 m). The typical annual swing is 14.6 in (37 cm). For docks, pumps, and fishing access, that is the range to plan around first.
The watershed
The station’s drainage area above it is 94.5 sq mi (245 km2).
For this reach, the regional pattern is a spring rise and a late-summer low, with conditions that can change quickly during storm periods. That means the river can spend long stretches low, then move up faster than the seasonal average suggests.
Reading the hero number
This page’s hero number is the current reading at the station, read against the median for the same calendar day across the record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it puts today’s level in context for this date, not just above sea level or above a local datum.
On a USGS station with more than 12 years of record, that comparison helps you judge whether the river is running near its usual range for today, or standing well above or below it.
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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