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Swans Nest water level

River gauge, Exminster Marshes, Devon, United Kingdom

Directions

Lower than ever recorded here

Water level

-0.07m Steady over the last 24 hours

0 1 Highest onrecord 1.55 m Lowest on record 0.05 m

History

-0.07-0.06-0.05mOct 10Oct 12Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17-0.07-0.06-0.05mOct 10Oct 13Oct 17
-0.06-0.04mSep 17Sep 24Oct 2Oct 9Oct 17-0.06-0.04mSep 17Oct 2Oct 17
Water level Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range

What this means

At −0.07 m, the Exminster Marshes at Swans Nest is at a record low.

It has now dropped past the published record low of 0.05 m (April 1, 2001). The usual range here runs from 0.34 m to 0.65 m.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between −0.07 m and −0.03 m.

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

Compared with the highest and lowest levels the agency has recorded at this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Normal range
0.34 m – 0.65 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
−0.07 m – −0.03 m
Highest on record
1.55 mJanuary 27, 2026
Lowest on record
0.05 mApril 1, 2001
Lowest on record
0.12 m below the lowest level on record

On the river at Swans Nest

Low, clear water makes fish wary, and anglers often do better early and late in the day. For canoeists, shallow riffles mean scraped hulls and the odd portage.

Flood warnings for the area come from the Environment Agency.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 3.2 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 14° 7° – Wind 18 km/h
18 Sun 13° 5° – Wind 16 km/h
19 Mon 13° 9° 2.9 mm, 75% Wind 16 km/h
20 Tue 13° 5° 2.7 mm, 62% Wind 14 km/h
21 Wed 12° 4° 5.1 mm, 49% Wind 41 km/h
22 Thu 14° 8° 1.8 mm, 53% Wind 18 km/h
23 Fri 14° 8° 18 mm, 75% Wind 40 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:40 AM Sunset 06:20 PM Daylight 10 hr, 40 min First quarter 38%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
KennfordRiver gauge, River Kenn Tributary 0.01 m Lowest on record ±0 4.7 km
Exeter Alphington Mill LaneRiver gauge, Alphin Brook 0.05 m Lowest on record ±0 5.2 km
Lympstone Longbrook LaneRiver gauge, Wotton Brook 0.14 m Lowest on record −0.01 m 5.2 km
Exeter Heavitree Sweetbriar LaneRiver gauge, Northbrook 0.00 m Normal −0.01 m 5.2 km
Trews WeirRiver gauge, River Exe 3.32 m Low ±0 5.7 km
Clyst HonitonRiver gauge, River Clyst 0.60 m Low ±0 6.6 km
Exmouth Phear ParkRiver gauge, Withycombe Brook 0.06 m Normal −0.01 m 7.5 km
Withy BridgeRiver gauge, River Clyst 0.09 m Very low ±0 8.3 km

Questions and answers

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 −0.07 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Swans Nest today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 08:30 BST, the water level was −0.07 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Swans Nest rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.01 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Swans Nest normal?

Lower than ever recorded here. Compared with the highest and lowest levels the agency has recorded at this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Swans Nest?

The highest level on record is 1.55 m on January 27, 2026. The lowest is 0.05 m on April 1, 2001.

How often is this data updated?

The Environment Agency 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 Environment Agency, the official operator of this gauge, and are published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
Operator
Environment Agency
Station code
ea:45141 (Agency page)
Coordinates
50.67809, -3.47428 (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

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Water level −0.07 m 2026-10-17 07:30 Provisional

Download

Embed this gauge

Add a live card for this gauge to your website. It updates on its own and links back here.

How to cite

Environment Agency: Swans Nest (ea:45141). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/devon/swans-nest

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