Britannia, Ottawa 02KF005
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Britannia, Ottawa 02KF005 | … | … | … |
| Hull marina, Gatineau 02LA015 | … | … | … |
| Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue 02OA013 | … | … | … |
| Mattawa 02JE013 | … | … | … |
Typical level and flow by month
Britannia, Ottawa 02KF005
Flow is typically highest in April (2,130 m³/s) and lowest in September (558 m³/s). Level is typically highest in April (59.10 m) and lowest in August (57.93 m).
| Month | Typical flow (m³/s) | Middle half of days | Typical level (m) | Middle half of days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,400 | 1,240 – 1,550 | 58.47 | 58.38 – 58.55 |
| February | 1,400 | 1,280 – 1,490 | 58.46 | 58.41 – 58.52 |
| March | 1,330 | 1,180 – 1,550 | 58.46 | 58.31 – 58.64 |
| April | 2,130 | 1,450 – 2,840 | 59.10 | 58.47 – 59.42 |
| May | 2,060 | 1,140 – 2,940 | 59.01 | 58.65 – 59.60 |
| June | 1,190 | 897 – 1,670 | 58.42 | 58.14 – 58.83 |
| July | 815 | 664 – 1,020 | 58.03 | 57.90 – 58.23 |
| August | 636 | 479 – 810 | 57.93 | 57.83 – 58.05 |
| September | 558 | 436 – 763 | 58.01 | 57.74 – 58.17 |
| October | 809 | 547 – 1,100 | 58.15 | 57.96 – 58.28 |
| November | 1,190 | 821 – 1,640 | 58.35 | 58.16 – 58.54 |
| December | 1,280 | 1,050 – 1,550 | 58.33 | 58.24 – 58.41 |
Flow: median of daily means, 28 complete years from 1996 to 2024. Level: median of daily means, 9 complete years from 2016 to 2024.
Hull marina, Gatineau 02LA015
Level is typically highest in April (42.51 m) and lowest in August (41.36 m).
| Month | Typical level (m) | Middle half of days |
|---|---|---|
| January | 42.23 | 42.04 – 42.44 |
| February | 42.21 | 42.02 – 42.40 |
| March | 42.14 | 41.99 – 42.47 |
| April | 42.51 | 42.01 – 43.06 |
| May | 42.45 | 42.01 – 43.36 |
| June | 41.74 | 41.48 – 42.13 |
| July | 41.42 | 41.35 – 41.60 |
| August | 41.36 | 41.28 – 41.42 |
| September | 41.38 | 41.24 – 41.50 |
| October | 41.41 | 41.26 – 41.59 |
| November | 41.54 | 41.37 – 41.79 |
| December | 41.68 | 41.52 – 41.87 |
Level: median of daily means, 10 complete years from 2016 to 2025.
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue 02OA013
Level is typically highest in April (22.95 m) and lowest in September (21.71 m).
| Month | Typical level (m) | Middle half of days |
|---|---|---|
| January | 22.30 | 22.21 – 22.39 |
| February | 22.26 | 22.18 – 22.33 |
| March | 22.30 | 22.15 – 22.64 |
| April | 22.95 | 22.46 – 23.36 |
| May | 22.80 | 22.38 – 23.38 |
| June | 22.11 | 21.81 – 22.53 |
| July | 21.84 | 21.68 – 22.08 |
| August | 21.74 | 21.61 – 21.86 |
| September | 21.71 | 21.44 – 21.86 |
| October | 21.75 | 21.61 – 21.95 |
| November | 22.05 | 21.71 – 22.20 |
| December | 22.01 | 21.90 – 22.16 |
Level: median of daily means, 10 complete years from 2016 to 2025.
Mattawa 02JE013
Level is typically highest in May (53.07 m) and lowest in March (51.84 m).
| Month | Typical level (m) | Middle half of days |
|---|---|---|
| January | 52.82 | 52.71 – 52.93 |
| February | 52.79 | 52.68 – 52.90 |
| March | 51.84 | 51.42 – 52.26 |
| April | 52.26 | 51.65 – 52.73 |
| May | 53.07 | 52.75 – 53.48 |
| June | 52.62 | 52.47 – 52.89 |
| July | 52.43 | 52.37 – 52.56 |
| August | 52.37 | 52.34 – 52.41 |
| September | 52.44 | 52.35 – 52.56 |
| October | 52.51 | 52.43 – 52.64 |
| November | 52.61 | 52.40 – 52.98 |
| December | 52.62 | 52.49 – 52.71 |
Level: median of daily means, 10 complete years from 2016 to 2025.
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.
Britannia, Ottawa (02KF005): over 28 complete years from 1996 to 2024, the highest daily flow between March and July came around April 29 (the median date). In 15 of those 28 years it came between April 19 and May 6. The median peak was 3,470 m³/s; the highest in the period, 5,980 m³/s, came on May 1, 2019.
Hull marina, Gatineau (02LA015): over 10 complete years from 2016 to 2025, the highest daily level between March and July came around May 1 (the median date). In 5 of those 10 years it came between April 12 and May 5. The median peak was 43.43 m; the highest in the period, 45.17 m, came on May 1, 2019.
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue (02OA013): over 10 complete years from 2016 to 2025, the highest daily level between March and July came around April 25 (the median date). In 5 of those 10 years it came between April 16 and May 5. The median peak was 23.55 m; the highest in the period, 24.66 m, came on May 8, 2017.
Mattawa (02JE013): over 10 complete years from 2016 to 2025, the highest daily level between March and July came around May 8 (the median date). In 6 of those 10 years it came between May 3 and May 12. The median peak was 53.82 m; the highest in the period, 55.55 m, came on May 11, 2019.
A regulated river
The Ottawa River is regulated. The Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board coordinates the management of the principal reservoirs in the basin, to reduce the effects of floods and droughts along the river and its tributaries as far as the Montreal region while keeping the river's other uses. Formed in 1983, the board has seven members, who represent the governments of Canada, Ontario and Quebec and the agencies that run the large reservoirs. The board publishes current levels and flows at gauges along the river, and forecasts of river conditions.
About the gauges
Britannia, Ottawa
- Station number
- 02KF005
- Official name
- OTTAWA RIVER AT BRITANNIA
- Agency
- Water Survey of Canada
- Drainage area
- 91,260 km²
- Level datum
- CANADIAN GEODETIC VERTICAL DATUM 1928:EPOCH1997
Hull marina, Gatineau
- Station number
- 02LA015
- Official name
- OUTAOUAIS (RIVIERE DES) A HULL
- Agency
- Water Survey of Canada
- Drainage area
- 91,360 km²
- Level datum
- GEODETIC SURVEY OF CANADA DATUM
Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
- Station number
- 02OA013
- Official name
- OUTAOUAIS (RIVIERE DES) A SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BELLEVUE
- Agency
- Water Survey of Canada
- Drainage area
- 146,600 km²
- Level datum
- ASSUMED DATUM
Mattawa
- Station number
- 02JE013
- Official name
- OTTAWA RIVER AT MATTAWA
- Agency
- Water Survey of Canada
- Operator
- Public Works and Government Services Canada
- Drainage area
- 50,750 km²
- Level datum
- ASSUMED DATUM
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Canoe routes on the Ottawa River
- Ottawa River Canoe Route
- Upper Ottawa River Paddling Route (Kinojévis to Lac des Quinze)
- Lac Granet - Outaouais Circuit (no. 73), La Vérendrye
Questions
What is the Ottawa 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 02KF005 (Britannia, Ottawa). The table of typical values shows whether the reading is high or low for the season.
When does the Ottawa River peak in spring?
Britannia, Ottawa (02KF005): over 28 complete years from 1996 to 2024, the highest daily flow between March and July came around April 29 (the median date). In 15 of those 28 years it came between April 19 and May 6. The median peak was 3,470 m³/s; the highest in the period, 5,980 m³/s, came on May 1, 2019.
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.