Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva in OK, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location OK, United States
- Watershed upper salt fork arkansas
- Primary gauge 07148400 (USGS)
About Salt Fork Arkansas River near Alva
The Salt Fork Arkansas River sits in the Upper Salt Fork Arkansas watershed, Oklahoma.
What the record shows
The station’s record high is 14.94 ft (4.55 m) in May 2019. The record low is 2.06 ft (0.63 m) in September 2022. That spread tells you this reach can move from a low summer bed to a much higher bankfull condition, so docks, pumps, and low crossings need room for change.
Its seasonal pattern is modest on average but still worth watching. The highest typical month is May at 3.33 ft (1.01 m), and the lowest typical month is September at 2.74 ft (0.83 m). The typical annual swing is 7.1 in (18 cm). For an angler, that means the river usually stays within a fairly tight band most years, but late-summer water can still be lower than the spring set-up.
No fastest 24-hour rise is listed in the facts here, so there is nothing numeric to add on warning time from the record.
The watershed
USGS reports this station with a drainage area of 982 sq mi (2543 km2) above the gauge. That is the part of the basin feeding this reading, not the whole named watershed.
In southern-plains country, the river can respond quickly to convective storms and then spend long stretches easing downward. Spring is the main storm season, so that lines up with the higher typical month in May. By September, the typical level is lower, and low water can affect shallow launches, small intakes, and spots that depend on a steady edge.
Reading the hero number
The number at the top of the page is most useful when you compare it with the median for the same calendar day at this station, not just with the raw river height. That is what tells you whether the Salt Fork is running high or low for the date.
This station is operated by the U.S. Geological Survey. With 47 years on record, the calendar-day median gives a better local reference than a single reading, because it places today beside what this river usually does here, on this day.
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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How every number is computed - About the platform
