Athabasca River near Old Fort water level

Name: Athabasca River near Old Fort 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, Athabasca River, Alberta, Canada

Directions

Low for mid-October

Surface elevation

7.64m Up 0.06 m over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 18, 2026, 11:35 AM MDT (1 hour ago)

History

7 days 30 days

Surface elevation Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

At 7.64 m, the Athabasca River near Old Fort is below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 9.00 m, based on 20 years of readings, so the water level is 1.37 m below typical. On the same day last year the reading was 6.76 m, a difference of +0.87 m.

The water is rising: up 0.06 m over the past 24 hours. Over the past 30 days it has moved between 7.37 m and 8.50 m.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, and it usually takes a few days of steady rain to change that.

Compared with 20 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date: 9.00 m1.37 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date: 6.84 m – 211.32 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (20 years of records)
Same day last year: 6.76 m+0.87 m
Lowest and highest in 30 days: 7.37 m – 8.50 m

Conditions at Athabasca River near Old Fort

Low water means shallow riffles on canoe trips and warmer water for fish.

Flood advisories come from the provincial river forecast centre.

About the Athabasca River

The Athabasca River in Alberta, Canada, originates at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park and flows more than 1,231 km (765 mi) before emptying into Lake Athabasca. Much of the land along its banks is protected in national and provincial parks, and the river is designated a Canadian heritage river for its historical and cultural importance. The scenic Athabasca Falls is located about 30 km (19 mi) upstream from Jasper.

Weather at the gauge

Rain in the last 3 days: 5.1 mm. Rain that falls upstream can take hours or days to show up at a river gauge.

18 Sun 10° 3° – Wind 21 km/h

19 Mon 9° -2° – Wind 7 km/h

20 Tue 10° 0° – Wind 15 km/h

21 Wed 14° 4° – Wind 14 km/h

22 Thu 12° 2° – Wind 8 km/h

23 Fri 5° 1° 8.9 mm, 64% Wind 24 km/h

24 Sat 1° -1° 4.2 mm, 63% Wind 25 km/h

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 08:09 AM Sunset 06:14 PM Daylight 10 hr, 5 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the Athabasca River

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Athabasca River at Embarras AirportRiver gauge, Athabasca River	586 m³/s	Normal	+30.0 m³/s	9.4 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Richardson River near the MouthRiver gauge, Richardson River	1.62 m	Normal	+0.01 m	17 km

Questions and answers

Is the Athabasca River near Old Fort higher than last year?

Yes, it is 0.87 m higher than on the same day last year, when the reading was 6.76 m.

What is a normal level for the Athabasca River near Old Fort in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 9.00 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 6.84 m and 211.32 m, based on 20 years of records.

Is Athabasca River near Old Fort really 7.64 m deep?

No. 7.64 m is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of Athabasca River near Old Fort today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 11:35 AM MDT, the surface elevation was 7.64 m. Up 0.06 m over the last 24 hours.

Is Athabasca River near Old Fort rising or falling?

Up 0.06 m over the last 24 hours. Up 0.26 m over the last 7 days.

Is the level of Athabasca River near Old Fort normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 20 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.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada
Station code: eccc:07DD011 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 58.39686, -111.52494 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: APPROXIMATE GEODETIC SURVEY OF CANADA 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
Surface elevation	7.64 m	2026-10-18 17:35	Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: Athabasca River near Old Fort (eccc:07DD011). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/alberta/athabasca-river-near-old-fort

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