South Esk (Angus) at Brechin Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for South Esk (Angus) at Brechin in Scotland, United Kingdom, built from official government gauge data.
- Location Scotland, United Kingdom
- Primary gauge sepa-14917 (Water Survey of Canada)
About South Esk (Angus) at Brechin
South Esk (Angus) at Brechin is a gauged river in Scotland.
What the record shows
The station has 44 years of record, so the range here is worth treating as a real pattern, not a one-off. The high-water mark is 2.91 m (9.55 ft), set in November 2022. The low-water mark is -0.28 m (-0.93 ft), reached in July 2026. For anyone drawing water, working an intake, or watching a bank, that spread shows the river can move from a summer low to a much larger autumn flood.
Seasonally, January is the highest month at 0.55 m (1.82 ft), while July is the lowest month at 0.26 m (0.85 ft). That lines up with the local rain-driven pattern: higher winter and early-year water, then a softer warm-season river. The typical annual swing is 29.5 cm (11.6 in), which is the scale of change a fixed dock, pump, or crossing has to accommodate through a normal year.
The watershed
The catchment above this station is 488 km2 (188 sq mi). That is the land feeding this gauge, so the river here reflects what falls and runs off from that upstream area before it reaches Brechin. In a wet spell, changes from across that basin can arrive quickly enough to matter for fields near the channel and for anyone timing a launch or a crossing.
Because this is a rain-fed coastal-plain and piedmont setting, winter and spring tend to carry the higher water, while the warm season can settle into lower flow. The record high in November 2022 shows that late-year events can still set the mark, and the July 2026 low shows how far the river can drop in the dry season.
Reading the hero number
The number on the page is best read against the median for the same calendar day, not as a raw elevation by itself. A single height only tells you where the water sits right now; the day-median shows whether this river is running above or below its usual level for this date at this station.
That matters here because SEPA has more than four decades of record behind the comparison. With that much history, today’s reading can be set beside what this reach usually does on this day, which is the more useful test for anglers, cottagers, and anyone watching access or bank safety.
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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The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
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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
