Dotton water level
River gauge, River Otter, Devon, United Kingdom
Right now
Low for mid-October
Water level
History
20252026
What this means
At 0.23 m, the River Otter at Dotton is below normal for mid-October.
The median for mid-October is 0.27 m, based on 21 years of readings, so the river level is 0.04 m below typical. A year ago it stood at 0.23 m as well.
It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. Without real rain upstream, that is unlikely to change quickly. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 0.20 m and 0.30 m.
Autumn rain usually starts to lift rivers again after the summer low.
Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels
Key numbers
- Median for this date
- 0.27 m0.04 m below the median for this date
- Normal for this date
- 0.23 m – 0.48 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (21 years of records)
- Normal range
- 0.22 m – 1.40 m
- Same day last year
- 0.23 m0.00 m
- Lowest and highest in 30 days
- 0.20 m – 0.30 m
- Lowest and highest in 12 months
- 0.20 m – 1.26 m
- Highest on record
- 3.62 mJuly 11, 1968
- Lowest on record
- 0.15 mJuly 26, 1990
On the river at Dotton
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
The forecast is not available right now.
Map
Other gauges on the River Otter
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budleigh South Farm Road White BridgeRiver gauge, River Otter | 0.86 m | No reference yet | ±0 | 5.5 km |
| Budleigh South Farm Road West BridgeRiver gauge, River Otter | 0.30 m | No reference yet | −0.47 m | 5.7 km |
| Fenny BridgesRiver gauge, River Otter | 0.19 m | Very low | −0.01 m | 11 km |
Nearby gauges
| Gauge | Level | Compared with normal | 24 hours | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otterton Fore Street GibbonholeRiver gauge, Otterton Brook | −0.01 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 3.1 km |
| Sidmouth Higher Woolbrook RoadRiver gauge, Wool Brook | 0.09 m | Lowest on record | −0.01 m | 3.2 km |
| SidmouthRiver gauge, River Sid | 0.05 m | Normal | ±0 | 4.2 km |
| East Budleigh Brookfield RoadRiver gauge, Budleigh Brook | 0.64 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 4.4 km |
| SidburyRiver gauge, River Sid | 0.45 m | Very high | ±0 | 6.2 km |
| Budleigh Salterton Station RoadRiver gauge, Knowle Stream | 0.10 m | Lowest on record | ±0 | 6.9 km |
| FairmileRiver gauge, River Tale | 0.35 m | Normal | +0.01 m | 8.8 km |
| Rockbeare BridgeRiver gauge, Ford Stream | 0.41 m | Normal | ±0 | 9.4 km |
Questions and answers
Is the River Otter at Dotton higher than last year?
It is about the same as on this day last year, when the reading was 0.23 m.
What is a normal level for the River Otter at Dotton in mid-October?
The median for mid-October is 0.27 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.23 m and 0.48 m, based on 21 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 0.23 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.
What is the water level of Dotton today?
On 17 Oct 2026, 05:15 BST, the water level was 0.23 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.
Is Dotton rising or falling?
Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.
Is the level of Dotton normal?
Low for mid-October. Compared with 21 years of daily readings for this time of year.
What is the highest water level ever recorded at Dotton?
The highest level on record is 3.62 m on July 11, 1968. The lowest is 0.15 m on July 26, 1990.
For specialists
Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads
- Operator
- Environment Agency
- Station code
ea:45212(Agency page)- Coordinates
50.68833, -3.29426(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 | 0.23 m | 2026-10-17 04:15 | Provisional |
Download
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How to cite
Environment Agency: Dotton (ea:45212). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/devon/dotton
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