Columbia River at Birchbank water level

Name: Columbia River at Birchbank water level (Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada)
Creator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
License: https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada

River gauge, Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada

Directions

Normal for mid-October

Water level

2.95m Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 07:45 AM MDT (59 min ago)

Flow: 1,030 m³/s

History

7 days 30 days 1 year Years compared

20252026

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The Columbia River at Birchbank is at 2.95 m, in the normal range for mid-October.

That puts it 0.29 m below the median of 3.24 m for mid-October, based on 16 years of readings. A year ago it stood at 3.83 m (−0.87 m).

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 2.93 m and 4.29 m.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 3.24 m0.29 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 2.57 m – 3.94 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (16 years of records)
Same day last year: 3.83 m−0.87 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 2.93 m – 4.29 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 2.95 m – 5.11 m

On the river

Outside the spring freshet, most rivers settle into a gentler pattern, broken by storms.

Flood advisories come from the provincial river forecast centre.

About the Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river forms in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state of Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles long, and its largest tributary is the Snake River. Its drainage basin is roughly the size of France and extends into seven states of the United States and one Canadian province. The fourth-largest river in the United States by flow, the Columbia has the greatest flow of any river into the eastern Pacific.

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 08:18 AM Sunset 06:54 PM Daylight 10 hr, 36 min First quarter 60%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Columbia River at International BoundaryRiver gauge, Columbia River	98.00 ft	Normal	+1.66 ft	13 mi
Big Sheep Creek near RosslandRiver gauge, Big Sheep Creek	0.40 m	Normal	±0	25 km
Pend Oreille River at International BoundaryRiver gauge, Pend Oreille River	14,200 cfs	Very low	±0	21 mi
Slocan River near Crescent ValleyRiver gauge, Slocan River	0.77 m	Normal	−0.01 m	33 km
Boundary Powerplant Tw near Metaline FallsRiver gauge, Boundary Powerplant Tw	1,725.65 ft	Normal	±0	21 mi
Salmo River near SalmoRiver gauge, Salmo River	0.49 m	Low	±0	34 km
Hidden Creek near the MouthRiver gauge, Hidden Creek	0.23 m	Low	±0	35 km
Deer Creek at Deer ParkRiver gauge, Deer Creek	0.14 m	Low	±0	38 km

Questions and answers

How does the Columbia River at Birchbank compare with last year?

It is 0.87 m lower than on the same day last year, when the reading was 3.83 m.

What is a normal level for the Columbia River at Birchbank in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 3.24 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 2.57 m and 3.94 m, based on 16 years of records.

Is the river level the same as the depth of the water?

No. The reading is measured from a fixed zero mark at the gauge, so 2.95 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Columbia River at Birchbank today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 07:45 AM MDT, the water level was 2.95 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Columbia River at Birchbank rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.28 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Columbia River at Birchbank normal?

Normal for mid-October. Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year.

How often is this data updated?

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada publishes a new reading every hour. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
Station code: eccc:08NE049 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 49.17784, -117.71765 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: station datum (assumed datum)
Update interval: every hour
Licence: Open Government Licence – Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	2.95 m	2026-10-19 13:45	Provisional
Flow	1,030 m³/s	2026-10-19 13:45	Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Columbia River at Birchbank (eccc:08NE049). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/british-columbia/columbia-river-at-birchbank

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