- Lac Deschênes Water Level, Past 48 Hours — NSC web page graphical depiction of water level.
- Lac Deschênes Water Levels, Current & and Historic — A graphical or tabular depiction of current & historic water levels, showing the median and historical high and low levels.
- Lac Deschênes Water Levels, Forecast — A graphical depiction of current & historic water levels, plus a 3-day prediction.
- Lac Deschênes Water Levels, Historic — Water levels in table format since 1950.
- Lac Deschênes Water Levels & Flow Rates — Real-time and historic water levels in graphical and tabular format. Environment Canada website. Similar data to that available on the ORRPB website.
Notes:
- The Mean Water Level datum at Britannia1 is 57.9 m.
- The BYC gates cannot be removed until the water level drops to roughly 59.0 m.
- During the 2017 flood, the water level reached a peak of 60.44 m.
- During the 2019 flood, the water level reached a peak of 60.70 m on the evening of 2019-04-30. That’s 2.8 m, or 9′ 2″, above datum. The second peak was at 60.61 m in the early morning of 2019-05-14.
- During the 2023 flood, the water level reached a peak of 60.35 m.
- During the 2026 flood, the water level reached a peak of 60.23 m on the morning of 2026-04-22.
- At a water level of 60.15 m, the water will be at the top of the south crane well; at 60.20 m, it will be at the top of the north crane well.
- The service docks cannot be attached if the water level is above approximately 59.7 m.
- It’s interesting to note that since 1950, the water level has peaked above 60.0 m only in 1951, 1979, 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2026.
1 The Britannia water level and flow metering station 02KF005 is actually located at NSC!
Page updated: 2026-04-29.Page maintained by Hugh Morrin.
Update log
2017:
12 Jan: HM: Created this update log. Updated link for http://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/report/real_time_e.html?stn=02KF005.
13 Jan: HM: Deleted duplicate link.
2019:
02 May: HM: Added notes about 2017 and 2019 floods.
08 Jun: HM: Added notes about water levels and crane well walls, and connecting service docks.
2020:
09 Apr: HM: Renamed second bullet from “Water Levels and Flows — Ottawa River level Forecasts” to “Lake Deschenes at Britannia – A graphical depiction of current & forecast water levels, along with median and historical high and low levels.” Updated links to second and third bullets.
20 Oct: HM: Re-ordered links. Added link to https://nsc.ca/an/weather/water-level-at-britannia/ (past 48 hours). Updated link “http://ottawariver.ca/forecast/lake-deschenes-at-britannia” to “http://ottawariver.ca/location/britannia/. Other editorial updates. 2021-06-11, HM: Updated publish date (was 2013-04-15) and added note below. 2021-11-29, HM: Added note about Britannia station located at NSC. 2022-05-01, HM: Added link to 3-day predictive water levels. Other editorial changes; notably standardizing on “Lac Dechenes” vs “Ottawa River”. 2022-08-16: DS: converted Water Level Monitoring link from post to page. 2024-05-14, DS: fixed broken link for past 48 hours. 2026-04-19, HM: Fixed broken link to monthly tabular data. Removed “1” in multiple locations, to make reading easier. Removed “ORRPB website”; users will figure that out as soon as they click on those links. 2026-04-26, HM: Noted 2026 highest water level. Added “or tabular” to second bullet. 2026-04-29, HM: Added note about how many years the water has peaked above 60 m.
2017:
12 Jan: HM: Created this update log. Updated link for http://wateroffice.ec.gc.ca/report/real_time_e.html?stn=02KF005.
13 Jan: HM: Deleted duplicate link.
2019:
02 May: HM: Added notes about 2017 and 2019 floods.
08 Jun: HM: Added notes about water levels and crane well walls, and connecting service docks.
2020:
09 Apr: HM: Renamed second bullet from “Water Levels and Flows — Ottawa River level Forecasts” to “Lake Deschenes at Britannia – A graphical depiction of current & forecast water levels, along with median and historical high and low levels.” Updated links to second and third bullets.
20 Oct: HM: Re-ordered links. Added link to https://nsc.ca/an/weather/water-level-at-britannia/ (past 48 hours). Updated link “http://ottawariver.ca/forecast/lake-deschenes-at-britannia” to “http://ottawariver.ca/location/britannia/. Other editorial updates. 2021-06-11, HM: Updated publish date (was 2013-04-15) and added note below. 2021-11-29, HM: Added note about Britannia station located at NSC. 2022-05-01, HM: Added link to 3-day predictive water levels. Other editorial changes; notably standardizing on “Lac Dechenes” vs “Ottawa River”. 2022-08-16: DS: converted Water Level Monitoring link from post to page. 2024-05-14, DS: fixed broken link for past 48 hours. 2026-04-19, HM: Fixed broken link to monthly tabular data. Removed “1” in multiple locations, to make reading easier. Removed “ORRPB website”; users will figure that out as soon as they click on those links. 2026-04-26, HM: Noted 2026 highest water level. Added “or tabular” to second bullet. 2026-04-29, HM: Added note about how many years the water has peaked above 60 m.
NOTE: Update the publish date and time when updating page.