Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine water level

Name: Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, Kennebec River, Maine, United States

Directions

Very low for mid-October

Water level

1.95ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 05:00 PM EDT (27 min ago)

Flow: 466 cfs

History

7 days

Water level

What this means

The Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine is running far below normal at 1.95 ft.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. In the last month it has stayed between 1.95 ft and 4.68 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 14.41 ftApril 18, 1983

Floating and fishing near Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine

Low water exposes gravel bars that make good wading access, but some boat ramps may be left high and dry.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	14.41 ft	April 18, 1983
2	13.78 ft	June 1, 1984
3	12.68 ft	December 22, 1973
4	11.06 ft	September 25, 1981
5	11.01 ft	May 21, 1969
6	10.95 ft	December 19, 2023
7	10.70 ft	April 28, 1945
8	10.58 ft	May 9, 1947
9	10.37 ft	June 19, 1969
10	10.10 ft	June 18, 1917

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:02 AM Sunset 05:49 PM Daylight 10 hr, 48 min First quarter 62%

Map

Other gauges on the Kennebec River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Kennebec River at Bingham, MaineRiver gauge, Kennebec River	1,680 cfs	Very low	+160 cfs	20 mi
Kennebec River near Madison, MaineRiver gauge, Kennebec River	2,600 cfs	Low	+650 cfs	39 mi
Kennebec River at North Sidney, MaineRiver gauge, Kennebec River	5.94 ft	Below flood stage	+0.39 ft	61 mi
Kennebec River at Calumet Bridge at Augusta, MaineTidal gauge, Kennebec River	−1.15 ft	Below flood stage	−1.99 ft	71 mi
Kennebec River at Hallowell, MaineTidal gauge, Kennebec River	−0.96 ft	Below flood stage	−2.07 ft	73 mi
Kennebec River at Gardiner, MaineTidal gauge, Kennebec River	0.15 ft	Below flood stage	−1.07 ft	77 mi

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Spencer Stream near Grand Falls, MaineRiver gauge, Spencer Stream	161 cfs	Normal	−65.0 cfs	14 mi
Dead River near Dead River, MaineRiver gauge, Dead River	357 cfs	Normal	±0	14 mi
Piscataquis River at Blanchard, MaineRiver gauge, Piscataquis River	3.78 ft	Below flood stage	−0.05 ft	19 mi
Austin Stream at Bingham, MaineRiver gauge, Austin Stream	70.5 cfs	Normal	−35.5 cfs	19 mi
Kingsbury Stream at Abbot Village, MaineRiver gauge, Kingsbury Stream	6.10 ft	Below flood stage	−0.21 ft	27 mi
East Branch Wesserunsett Stream near Athens, MaineRiver gauge, East Branch Wesserunsett Stream	16.1 cfs	Normal	−2.4 cfs	31 mi
Carrabassett River near North Anson, MaineRiver gauge, Carrabassett River	3.12 ft	Below flood stage	−0.22 ft	33 mi
Piscataquis River near Dover-Foxcroft, MaineRiver gauge, Piscataquis River	2.02 ft	Below flood stage	−0.17 ft	33 mi

Questions and answers

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 05:00 PM EDT, the water level was 1.95 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine normal?

Very low for mid-October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine?

The highest level on record is 14.41 ft on April 18, 1983.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:01042500 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 45.33972, -69.96194 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	1.95 ft	2026-10-19 21:00	Provisional
Flow	466 cfs	2026-10-19 21:00	Provisional

Download

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine (usgs:01042500). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/maine/kennebec-river-at-the-forks-maine

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer