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French River at Chaudiere Dam water level

River gauge, French River, Ontario, Canada

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Right now

Low for mid-October

Surface elevation

187.80m Steady over the last 24 hours

Flow
2.54 m³/s
188 190 193

History

History
188190192mOct 11Oct 13Oct 15Oct 17Oct 18188190192mOct 11Oct 15Oct 18
188190192mSep 18Sep 26Oct 3Oct 11Oct 18188190192mSep 18Oct 3Oct 18
Surface elevation Normal range (10–90 %)

What this means

At 187.80 m, the French River at Chaudiere Dam is below normal for mid-October.

The median for mid-October is 188.86 m, based on 16 years of readings, so the water level is 1.07 m below typical.

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 187.79 m and 187.81 m.

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

Compared with 16 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Key numbers

Median for this date
188.86 m1.07 m below the median for this date
Normal for this date
187.75 m – 192.01 m8 years in 10 fall in this range (16 years of records)
Lowest and highest in 30 days
187.79 m – 187.81 m
Lowest and highest in 12 months
187.79 m – 187.80 m

Conditions at French River at Chaudiere Dam

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

Flood advisories come from the provincial river forecast centre.

About the French River

French River (Ontario)

The French River is a river in Central Ontario, Canada. It flows 110 kilometres (68 mi) from Lake Nipissing southwest to Georgian Bay. The river largely follows the boundary between the Parry Sound District and the Sudbury District, and in most contexts is considered the dividing line between Northern and Southern Ontario. The French River was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1986.

Read more on Wikipedia

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

Weather at the gauge

The forecast is not available right now.

Sunrise 07:42 AM Sunset 06:30 PM Daylight 10 hr, 49 min First quarter 52%

Map

Other gauges on the French River

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
French River below Portage DamRiver gauge, French River 89.9 m³/s Normal −0.80 m³/s 0.7 km
French River at Wolseley BayRiver gauge, French River 186.76 m Normal +0.01 m 18 km
French River at Horseshoe FallsRiver gauge, French River 9.88 m³/s Very low +1.26 m³/s 37 km
French River at Little French CutRiver gauge, French River 1.20 m³/s Very low +0.38 m³/s 42 km
French River at Dry Pine BayRiver gauge, French River 1.01 m Normal +0.05 m 45 km
French River at Recollet FallsRiver gauge, French River 94.4 m³/s Very low +6.80 m³/s 46 km
French River at Hartley BayRiver gauge, French River 177.53 m Low +0.07 m 57 km

Nearby gauges

Gauge Level Compared with normal 24 hours Distance
Little French River at Okikendawt IslandRiver gauge, Little French River 18.6 m³/s Normal −0.30 m³/s 4.0 km
Dollars Lake below S NarrowsLake, Dollars Lake 7.61 m Very low ±0 28 km
Veuve River near VernerRiver gauge, Veuve River 0.45 m Low −0.01 m 33 km
Pickerel River above Cantin LakeRiver gauge, Pickerel River 16.72 m Low −0.02 m 33 km
Commanda Creek near CommandaRiver gauge, Commanda Creek 1.06 m Low −0.01 m 38 km
Little Sturgeon River below Booth LakeRiver gauge, Little Sturgeon River 2.63 m Normal −0.03 m 44 km

Questions and answers

What is a normal level for the French River at Chaudiere Dam in mid-October?

The median for mid-October is 188.86 m. In 8 years out of 10 the reading falls between 187.75 m and 192.01 m, based on 16 years of records.

Is French River at Chaudiere Dam really 187.80 m deep?

No. 187.80 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 French River at Chaudiere Dam today?

On Oct 18, 2026, 02:35 PM EDT, the surface elevation was 187.80 m. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is French River at Chaudiere Dam rising or falling?

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

Is the level of French River at Chaudiere Dam normal?

Low for mid-October. Compared with 16 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:02DD017 (Agency page)
Coordinates
46.12083, -80.02750 (WGS84)
Vertical datum
FRENCH RIVER DATUM
Update interval
every hour
Licence
Open Government Licence – Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Published series

ParameterLast valueTime (UTC)Quality
Surface elevation 187.80 m 2026-10-18 18:35 Provisional
Flow 2.54 m³/s 2026-10-18 18:35 Provisional

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How to cite

Environment and Climate Change Canada – Water Survey of Canada: French River at Chaudiere Dam (eccc:02DD017). Accessed October 18, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/canada/ontario/french-river-at-chaudiere-dam

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.