Idless Dam water level

Name: Idless Dam water level (Environment Agency)
Creator: Environment Agency
License: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

River gauge, River Allen, Cornwall, United Kingdom

Directions

Below the normal range

Water level

0.04m Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured 17 Oct 2026, 09:15 BST (40 min ago)

History

7 days

Water level Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range

What this means

Low water at Idless Dam: the gauge reads 0.04 m, below normal.

The usual range here runs from 0.05 m to 1.10 m.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. The 30-day range is 0.04 m – 0.05 m.

Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.

Compared with the normal range the agency publishes for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Normal range: 0.05 m – 1.10 m
Highest on record: 1.25 mDecember 7, 2000
Lowest on record: 0.03 mSeptember 5, 2011

For anglers and canoeists

Low rivers are hard going for paddlers, with exposed gravel and weirs that are awkward to shoot. Salmon and sea trout usually wait for the next spate to run.

Many angling and canoe clubs check gauges like this one before heading out.

About the River Allen

The River Allen is a river in the English county of Northumberland. The river has its sources in the hills of the Northern Pennines, and is formed by the confluence of the East and West Allen rivers. The Allen is a tributary of the River South Tyne, which itself, a tributary of the River Tyne. The Allen was formerly very polluted from mining activity upstream, but remediation schemes have been implemented to allow the water quality to improve.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 3.8 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 14° 6° – Wind 15 km/h

18 Sun 13° 4° – Wind 14 km/h

19 Mon 11° 6° 3.3 mm, 59% Wind 15 km/h

20 Tue 14° 9° – Wind 13 km/h

21 Wed 12° 9° 6.4 mm, 59% Wind 48 km/h

22 Thu 14° 10° 2.9 mm, 60% Wind 24 km/h

23 Fri 13° 10° 22 mm, 76% Wind 42 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:46 AM Sunset 06:27 PM Daylight 10 hr, 41 min First quarter 38%

Map

Other gauges on the River Allen

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
PenvoseRiver gauge, River Allen	0.08 m	Very low	−0.02 m	38 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
TruroRiver gauge, River Kenwyn	0.09 m	Very low	−0.02 m	2.2 km
BissoeRiver gauge, Carnon River	0.26 m	Low	−0.01 m	7.6 km
Bolingey Cocks BridgeRiver gauge, Bolingey Stream	0.22 m	Normal	−0.03 m	7.8 km
LadockRiver gauge, Tresillian River	−0.05 m	Lowest on record	−0.04 m	7.9 km
Rose in ValeRiver gauge, Perrancombe Stream	0.30 m	Normal	−0.01 m	8.3 km
PerrancoombeRiver gauge, Perrancombe Stream	0.12 m	Normal	−0.02 m	9.4 km
TregonyRiver gauge, River Fal	0.26 m	Normal	−0.09 m	10 km
PonsanoothRiver gauge, River Kennall	0.05 m	Very low	±0	11 km

Questions and answers

What is the typical range for the River Allen at Idless Dam?

The Environment Agency gives a typical range of 0.05 m to 1.10 m for this gauge.

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 0.04 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Idless Dam today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 09:15 BST, the water level was 0.04 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Idless Dam rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Idless Dam normal?

Below the normal range. Compared with the normal range the agency publishes for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Idless Dam?

The highest level on record is 1.25 m on December 7, 2000. The lowest is 0.03 m on September 5, 2011.

How often is this data updated?

The Environment Agency publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment Agency
Station code: ea:48115 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 50.28484, -5.05732 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: station datum
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains Environment Agency data licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	0.04 m	2026-10-17 08:15	Provisional

Download

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<iframe src="https://nivelmap.com/embed/2203?lang=en" width="360" height="230" style="border:0;max-width:100%" loading="lazy" title="Idless Dam water level"></iframe>

How to cite

Environment Agency: Idless Dam (ea:48115). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/cornwall/idless-dam

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