West Okaw River near Lovington Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for West Okaw River near Lovington in IL, United States, built from official government gauge data.
- Location IL, United States
- Watershed upper kaskaskia
- Primary gauge 05591700 (USGS)
About West Okaw River near Lovington
West Okaw River near Lovington is in the Upper Kaskaskia watershed of Illinois.
What the record shows
Across more than 46 years of record, the river’s highest level was 14.59 ft (4.45 m) in April 1994, and its lowest was 0.13 ft (0.04 m) in October 1988. Those are wide bookends for a small prairie stream, and they matter on the ground: a low-water stretch can leave shallows thin for crossings, pumps, and fish movement, while high water can push the channel into places people use for access.
The seasonal pattern is clear. The usual high point comes in May at 4.87 ft (1.48 m), and the usual low point comes in September at 2.25 ft (0.69 m). The typical annual swing is 31.4 in (79.8 cm). For a river like this, that is the range a dock, low bank, or intake has to live with from one part of the year to the next.
The regional pattern fits that shape: winter and spring rain and melt floods dominate, and summer recessions are common on flat land with slow drainage. This station’s record follows that general rhythm.
The watershed
This gauge drains 112 sq mi (290 km2) upstream of the station. That is the area feeding the reading on this page, not the full Upper Kaskaskia watershed.
For anyone watching fields, crossings, or fishing access, the small catchment means local rain can show up in the river quickly, but the broader seasonal pattern still depends on the same prairie cycle: wetter late winter and spring, then a retreat into summer low water. The monthly record here gives a practical sense of what to expect on the ground: May is usually the high month, September the low month.
Reading the hero number
The number at the top of the page is most useful when you compare today’s reading with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That tells you whether the river is running above or below its normal level for this date, which is more useful than a raw elevation by itself.
This station is published by the USGS, and the comparison rests on more than 46 years of record.
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.
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