West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland water level

Name: West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

River gauge, West Branch Ontonagon River, Michigan, United States

Directions

Below flood stage

Water level

1.21ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 PM CDT (41 min ago)

Flow: 33.3 cfs

History

7 days

Water level Minor flood stage

What this means

The West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland is at 1.21 ft, in the normal range.

It is 6.79 ft below the flood stage of 8.00 ft.

The level has held steady over the past 24 hours. In the last month it has stayed between 1.21 ft and 1.35 ft.

Fall is often low-water season on rivers, until steadier rain returns.

Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge. How to read levels

Key numbers

Highest on record: 6.06 ftApril 19, 2002

Floating and fishing near West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland

Normal flows mean predictable rapids and good access at most put-ins.

Flood stage here is 8.00 ft, 6.79 ft above the current reading. Beyond it, the National Weather Service also defines moderate and major flood stages.

Highest crests on record

Rank	Level	Date
1	6.06 ft	April 19, 2002
2	5.98 ft	April 26, 1960
3	5.92 ft	April 25, 2019
4	5.73 ft	May 2, 1951
5	5.65 ft	May 13, 2014
6	5.59 ft	May 12, 1950
7	5.53 ft	May 3, 1954
8	5.51 ft	May 9, 1996
9	5.43 ft	May 14, 2003
10	5.42 ft	July 25, 1952

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 69° 46° 0.02 in Wind 10 mph

22 Thu 63° 44° – Wind 6 mph

23 Fri 69° 51° – Wind 11 mph

24 Sat 70° 59° 0.06 in, 29% Wind 17 mph

25 Sun 59° 41° 0.17 in, 29% Wind 11 mph

26 Mon 41° 32° – Wind 9 mph

27 Tue 40° 28° – Wind 7 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:25 AM Sunset 06:02 PM Daylight 10 hr, 38 min Waxing gibbous 74%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Lake Gogebic near BerglandLake, Lake Gogebic	1.55 ft	Very low	+0.03 ft	0.3 mi
Mineral River Ds of Native Creek near Silver CityRiver gauge, Mineral River Ds of Native Creek	8.09 ft	No reference yet	±0	17 mi
Ontonagon River near RocklandRiver gauge, Ontonagon River	5.30 ft	Below flood stage	−0.03 ft	18 mi
Presque Isle River near ConnorvilleRiver gauge, Presque Isle River	5.38 ft	No reference yet	−0.03 ft	22 mi
Cisco Branch Ontonagon River at Cisco Lake OutletRiver gauge, Cisco Branch Ontonagon River	0.5 cfs	Very low	±0	23 mi
Cisco Lake near WatersmeetLake, Cisco Lake	4.16 ft	Very high	+0.01 ft	24 mi
Black River near BessemerRiver gauge, Black River	2.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	26 mi
Middle Branch Ontonagon River near PauldingRiver gauge, Middle Branch Ontonagon River	4.18 ft	Below flood stage	−0.04 ft	27 mi

Questions and answers

What is flood stage for the West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland?

The official flood stage is 8.00 ft. The level is currently 6.79 ft below it.

Is gage height the same as water depth?

No. Gage height is measured from a fixed reference point chosen by the agency, so a reading of 10 ft does not mean the river is 10 ft deep.

What is the water level of West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland today?

On Oct 20, 2026, 11:00 PM CDT, the water level was 1.21 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours. Down 0.04 ft over the last 7 days.

Is the level of West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland normal?

Below flood stage. Judged against the official flood stage for this gauge.

What is the highest water level ever recorded at West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland?

The highest level on record is 6.06 ft on April 19, 2002.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey 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: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:04036000 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 46.58745, -89.54182 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Water level	1.21 ft	2026-10-21 04:00	Provisional
Flow	33.3 cfs	2026-10-21 04:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: West Branch Ontonagon River near Bergland (usgs:04036000). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/michigan/west-branch-ontonagon-river-near-bergland

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