Young Creek near Castor Water Level
Live river level, flow, historical records and forecast for Young Creek near Castor in AB, Canada, built from official government gauge data.
- Location AB, Canada
- Watershed upper battle meeting
- Primary gauge 05FC007 (Water Survey of Canada)
About Young Creek near Castor
Young Creek near Castor is a gauged river in the Upper Battle - Meeting watershed in Alberta.
The watershed
The station drains 77.5 km2 (29.9 sq mi) upstream of the gauge. That is the area that feeds this reading, not the whole watershed name on the page.
For this part of Alberta, late-spring snowmelt usually sets the higher water, while summer storms can push the creek up fast. In practice, that means the level can change quickly enough to matter for a low crossing, a pump intake, or a bank where you keep gear close to the edge.
What the numbers say
The highest recorded level is 1.61 m (5.28 ft), in March 2019. The lowest is 0.08 m (0.25 ft), in October 2021. That gap is large enough to change the look and reach of the creek from one season to another.
The seasonal pattern follows that same shape. March is the usual high month at 0.72 m (2.36 ft), while October is the usual low month at 0.46 m (1.49 ft). The typical annual swing is 26.5 cm (10.4 in), so a dock, culvert, or intake set for one season may sit noticeably differently by the next.
The fastest 24-hour rise on record is 51.8 cm (20.4 in), in April 2013. For anyone watching the water closely, that is the main warning: this creek has shown it can climb sharply in a single day.
The fastest 24-hour drop is 46.3 cm (18.2 in), in May 2012. That kind of move can leave shallow margins and exposed edges where water was against them the day before.
Reading the hero number
The hero number on this page is the current reading compared with the median for this calendar day across the station record. That is more useful than raw elevation because it tells you whether Young Creek is running high or low for this date, not just how tall the water is in isolation.
This station has more than 38 years of record behind it, so that daily comparison has a long local baseline.
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
Field notes and explainers from the Nibi desk - how to read a staff gauge, what a 100-year flood actually means, how snowpack becomes summer water.
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Inside the freshet cycle that puts Manitoba shorelines at risk each year - and why 2026 broke the script.
The science of snow water equivalent and why it drives the season ahead.
What the numbers on the measuring stick actually tell you.
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
