Sheep River at Black Diamond water level

Name: Sheep River at Black Diamond 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, Sheep River, Alberta, Canada

Directions

Very high for mid-October

Water level

1.29m Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 17, 2026, 09:05 PM MDT (2 hours ago)

Flow: 4.03 m³/s

History

7 days 30 days

Water level Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

The Sheep River at Black Diamond is well above normal at 1.29 m.

That puts it 0.53 m above the median of 0.76 m for mid-October, based on 14 years of readings.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.29 m and 1.37 m.

That stands out in fall, when many rivers are usually near their lowest.

Compared with 14 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 0.76 m0.53 m above the median for this date
Normal for this date: 0.68 m – 1.05 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (14 years of records)
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 1.29 m – 1.37 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months: 1.29 m – 1.38 m

Flood levels and safety

A high reading on its own does not mean property is at risk. The warnings issued by the provincial river forecast centre take local defences and the forecast into account.

Readings can change quickly after heavy rain upstream, so check again before heading near the water.

About the Sheep River

The Sheep River is located in southwestern Alberta, Canada, and is part of the Bow River watershed. The river begins in the mountain valleys of Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park, passes through Sheep River Provincial Park, and joins the Highwood River about 8 km east of Okotoks. The Sheep River provides drinking water for the towns of Diamond Valley, and Okotoks.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

17 Sat 18° 6° – Wind 62 km/h

18 Sun 10° 0° – Wind 19 km/h

19 Mon 11° -1° – Wind 10 km/h

20 Tue 10° 2° – Wind 10 km/h

21 Wed 20° 1° – Wind 23 km/h

22 Thu 16° 3° – Wind 30 km/h

23 Fri 7° 0° – Wind 12 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:05 AM Sunset 06:40 PM Daylight 10 hr, 35 min First quarter 46%

Map

Other gauges on the Sheep River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Sheep River at OkotoksRiver gauge, Sheep River	26.05 m	Low	−0.01 m	20 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Threepoint Creek near MillarvilleRiver gauge, Threepoint Creek	1.55 m	High	±0	9.5 km
Fish Creek near PriddisRiver gauge, Fish Creek	2.22 m	Low	−0.02 m	23 km
Pekisko Creek near LongviewRiver gauge, Pekisko Creek	0.64 m	Normal	±0	24 km
Trap Creek near LongviewRiver gauge, Trap Creek	1.97 m	High	−0.01 m	27 km
Highwood River below Little Bow CanalRiver gauge, Highwood River	1.16 m	Normal	−0.01 m	29 km
Little Bow Canal at High RiverCanal gauge, Little Bow Canal	1.22 m	Normal	−0.01 m	29 km
Stimson Creek near PekiskoRiver gauge, Stimson Creek	1.60 m	Very high	−0.01 m	29 km
Highwood River near the MouthRiver gauge, Highwood River	2.29 m	Normal	+0.03 m	31 km

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the Sheep River at Black Diamond in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 0.76 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 0.68 m and 1.05 m, based on 14 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 1.29 m on the gauge does not mean the water is that deep.

What is the water level of Sheep River at Black Diamond today?

On Oct 17, 2026, 09:05 PM MDT, the water level was 1.29 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Sheep River at Black Diamond rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Steady over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Sheep River at Black Diamond normal?

Very high for mid-October. Compared with 14 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.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada, the official operator of this gauge, and are published under the Open Government Licence – Canada. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
Station code: eccc:05BL014 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 50.68855, -114.24491 (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	1.29 m	2026-10-18 03:05	Provisional
Flow	4.03 m³/s	2026-10-18 03:05	Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Sheep River at Black Diamond (eccc:05BL014). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/alberta/sheep-river-at-black-diamond

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