Near Duncan 08HA011
Reading the latest value from Water Survey of Canada…
Shaded band: the middle half of the month's daily means in the agency's archive.
Live readings are provisional: the agency publishes them before checking them and can revise them. CanoeMap shows the agency's numbers as published. See this gauge at the agency
Latest value at each gauge
| Gauge | Level | Flow | Latest reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Near Duncan 08HA011 | … | … | … |
| Lake Cowichan 08HA002 | … | … | … |
Typical level and flow by month
Near Duncan 08HA011
Flow is typically highest in January (110 m³/s) and lowest in August (5.18 m³/s). Level is typically highest in January (1.55 m) and lowest in August (0.17 m).
| Month | Typical flow (m³/s) | Middle half of days | Typical level (m) | Middle half of days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 110 | 77.5 – 158 | 1.55 | 1.26 – 1.93 |
| February | 74.6 | 56.7 – 104 | 1.18 | 1.03 – 1.55 |
| March | 63.3 | 45.8 – 87.1 | 0.99 | 0.80 – 1.20 |
| April | 54.5 | 33.3 – 75.9 | 0.82 | 0.71 – 1.17 |
| May | 28.6 | 16.5 – 46.3 | 0.56 | 0.51 – 0.82 |
| June | 14.0 | 7.02 – 21.4 | 0.40 | 0.24 – 0.50 |
| July | 5.81 | 4.63 – 7.20 | 0.24 | 0.18 – 0.26 |
| August | 5.18 | 3.98 – 5.88 | 0.17 | 0.16 – 0.23 |
| September | 5.55 | 4.10 – 6.48 | 0.25 | 0.20 – 0.29 |
| October | 20.6 | 7.38 – 44.3 | 0.66 | 0.30 – 0.92 |
| November | 77.8 | 48.3 – 117 | 1.22 | 0.91 – 1.74 |
| December | 102 | 66.3 – 142 | 1.32 | 1.10 – 1.64 |
Flow: median of daily means, 29 complete years from 1996 to 2024. Level: median of daily means, 9 complete years from 2016 to 2024.
Lake Cowichan 08HA002
Flow is typically highest in January (88.0 m³/s) and lowest in August (6.79 m³/s). Level is typically highest in January (1.75 m) and lowest in August (0.25 m).
| Month | Typical flow (m³/s) | Middle half of days | Typical level (m) | Middle half of days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 88.0 | 63.0 – 122 | 1.75 | 1.37 – 2.16 |
| February | 61.6 | 47.3 – 88.7 | 1.30 | 1.10 – 1.84 |
| March | 52.6 | 37.5 – 71.5 | 1.09 | 0.83 – 1.28 |
| April | 47.1 | 28.6 – 67.2 | 0.83 | 0.76 – 1.32 |
| May | 26.3 | 15.5 – 43.8 | 0.61 | 0.56 – 0.89 |
| June | 14.5 | 7.77 – 20.4 | 0.44 | 0.32 – 0.57 |
| July | 7.21 | 6.20 – 8.27 | 0.32 | 0.22 – 0.33 |
| August | 6.79 | 5.27 – 7.37 | 0.25 | 0.21 – 0.32 |
| September | 7.02 | 4.81 – 7.82 | 0.29 | 0.21 – 0.34 |
| October | 18.9 | 8.04 – 40.0 | 0.70 | 0.31 – 1.02 |
| November | 64.1 | 43.6 – 96.0 | 1.37 | 0.98 – 1.93 |
| December | 81.6 | 57.2 – 109 | 1.49 | 1.20 – 1.82 |
Flow: median of daily means, 29 complete years from 1996 to 2024. Level: median of daily means, 9 complete years from 2016 to 2024.
When does the spring peak come?
Computed from the agency's published daily means: for each year, the highest day between March 1 and July 31.
Near Duncan (08HA011): over 29 complete years from 1996 to 2024, the highest daily flow between March and July came around March 22 (the median date). In 15 of those 29 years it came between March 10 and April 10. The median peak was 109 m³/s; the highest in the period, 359 m³/s, came on March 19, 1997.
Lake Cowichan (08HA002): over 29 complete years from 1996 to 2024, the highest daily flow between March and July came around March 30 (the median date). In 15 of those 29 years it came between March 17 and April 16. The median peak was 87.6 m³/s; the highest in the period, 211 m³/s, came on March 20, 1997.
About the gauges
Near Duncan
- Station number
- 08HA011
- Official name
- COWICHAN RIVER NEAR DUNCAN
- Agency
- Water Survey of Canada
- Drainage area
- 826 km²
- Level datum
- ASSUMED DATUM
Lake Cowichan
- Station number
- 08HA002
- Official name
- COWICHAN RIVER AT LAKE COWICHAN
- Agency
- Water Survey of Canada
- Operator
- Private
- Drainage area
- 593 km²
- Level datum
- ASSUMED DATUM
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Canoe routes on the Cowichan River
Questions
What is the Cowichan River water level today?
The reading at the top of this page comes from Water Survey of Canada each time the page loads, for gauge 08HA011 (Near Duncan). The table of typical values shows whether the reading is high or low for the season.
When does the Cowichan River peak in spring?
Near Duncan (08HA011): over 29 complete years from 1996 to 2024, the highest daily flow between March and July came around March 22 (the median date). In 15 of those 29 years it came between March 10 and April 10. The median peak was 109 m³/s; the highest in the period, 359 m³/s, came on March 19, 1997.
Data source: Environment and Climate Change Canada (real-time readings and the HYDAT archive), end-use licence. CanoeMap computes the typical values and the peak dates from those archives.