WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW
—— ft above typical
Finding the top signal on the water…
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Saugeen River above Durham in ON, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
The Saugeen River above Durham is in the Saugeen watershed in Ontario.
The station drains 311 km2 (120 sq mi) upstream of the gauge. That is the area that feeds this reading, not the whole watershed. For people with docks, intakes, or low banks, that upstream area is the part that matters when rain or meltwater starts moving.
This river’s record runs back more than 48 years. That is enough history to show a seasonal pattern, even when individual years break the pattern.
The highest recorded level is 3.09 m (10.14 ft) in January 2011. The lowest recorded level is 1.06 m (3.48 ft) in August 2016. Those two marks define the range this station has actually seen.
The typical high month is March, at 1.55 m (5.07 ft). The typical low month is August, at 1.25 m (4.09 ft). The typical annual swing is 29.7 cm (11.7 in).
That seasonal shape fits the local rhythm of snowmelt-driven hydrology: spring freshet late April-May, then natural summer drawdown July-September, with an early-winter decline as ice forms. For users on the water, that means the same shoreline can feel quite different from spring to late summer. A dock or pump set for March conditions may sit noticeably higher above the water by August.
There is no fastest 24-hour rise listed here, so I won’t guess at warning time from this station.
The hero number on this page is today’s reading compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation because a level only tells you so much on its own; the calendar-day median shows whether today is high or low for this point in the season.
This station is published by Water Survey of Canada, and its record spans more than 48 years. If today’s reading sits above the median, the river is running higher than is typical for this date; if it sits below, it is running lower. That is the comparison cottagers, anglers, and anyone watching access or intake conditions can use first.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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