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Otford water level

River gauge, River Darent, Kent, United Kingdom

Directions

Within the normal range

Water level

0.17m Down 0.06 m over the last 24 hours

0.0 0.5 1.0 Highest onrecord 1.10 m Lowest on record 0.03 m

History

0.100.150.200.25mOct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 15Oct 17Bottom of normal range0.100.150.200.25mOct 10Oct 14Oct 17Bottom of normal range
0.10.2mSep 17Sep 25Oct 2Oct 10Oct 17Bottom of normal range0.10.2mSep 17Oct 2Oct 17Bottom of normal range
Water level Top of normal rangeBottom of normal range

What this means

The River Darent at Otford is at 0.17 m, within its typical range.

The usual range here runs from 0.07 m to 0.80 m.

It has dropped 0.06 m over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 0.15 m and 0.28 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
0.07 m – 0.80 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days
0.15 m – 0.28 m
Highest on record
1.10 mJanuary 17, 2014
Lowest on record
0.03 mJuly 27, 2006

Fishing and paddling

Paddlers and anglers can expect the river much as they know it, though a heavy shower upstream can change that within hours.

Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency.

About the River Darent

River Darent

The Darent is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames and takes the waters of the River Cray as a tributary in the tidal portion of the Darent near Crayford. 'Darenth' is frequently found as the spelling of the river's name in older books and maps, Bartholomew's Canals and River of England being one example. Bartholomew's Gazetteer (1954) demonstrates that Darent means "clear water", a result of it springing from and running through chalk. The purity of the water was a major factor in the development of paper and pharmaceuticals in the area.

Read more on Wikipedia

Text and image from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 3.3 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

17 Sat 13° 7° – Wind 21 km/h
18 Sun 12° 7° 2.4 mm, 46% Wind 21 km/h
19 Mon 13° 7° – Wind 18 km/h
20 Tue 14° 10° 2.7 mm, 31% Wind 12 km/h
21 Wed 12° 8° 3.2 mm, 50% Wind 35 km/h
22 Thu 14° 7° 1.0 mm, 33% Wind 33 km/h
23 Fri 12° 7° 4.1 mm, 57% Wind 25 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:26 AM Sunset 06:04 PM Daylight 10 hr, 38 min First quarter 40%

Map

Other gauges on the River Darent

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Park FarmRiver gauge, River Darent 0.09 m Normal −0.04 m 7.1 km
WesterhamRiver gauge, River Darent 0.03 m Normal −0.01 m 9.4 km
HawleyRiver gauge, River Darent 0.04 m Normal ±0 14 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
RiverheadGroundwater well 76.82 m Normal ±0 2.7 km
Sweeps LaneGroundwater well 43.59 m Normal ±0 11 km
Kydbrook CloseRiver gauge, Kyd Brook 0.41 m Lowest on record −0.01 m 12 km
Hazelmere RoadRiver gauge, Kyd Brook 0.57 m Low −0.03 m 13 km
Leigh Flood Storage AreaRiver gauge, River Medway 0.76 m Normal ±0 13 km
Vexour BridgeRiver gauge, Eden Tributary Medway 0.72 m Normal +0.01 m 13 km
Magpie Hall LaneRiver gauge, River Ravensbourne 0.96 m High −0.02 m 13 km

Questions and answers

What is the typical range for the River Darent at Otford?

The Environment Agency gives a typical range of 0.07 m to 0.80 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 0.17 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Otford today?

On 17 Oct 2026, 13:45 BST, the water level was 0.17 m. Down 0.06 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Otford rising or falling?

Down 0.06 m over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Otford normal?

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

What is the highest water level ever recorded at Otford?

The highest level on record is 1.10 m on January 17, 2014. The lowest is 0.03 m on July 27, 2006.

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:E15240 (Agency page)
Coordinates
51.30429, 0.18632 (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 0.17 m 2026-10-17 12:45 Provisional

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Embed this gauge

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How to cite

Environment Agency: Otford (ea:E15240). Accessed October 17, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-kingdom/kent/otford

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