Posted by: John Calvert
A glimpse from the past along the Rideau River.
Rideau River watering hole
Flooding through the years
Envrionment Canada Historical and Near Real-Time Hyrometric Data
Environment Canada has historical and near real-time stream flow and level (hydrometric) data online. For historical data look for the link “HYDAT – Archived Hydrometric Data – Query the database on-line.” Then enter station number “02LA004” for the Rideau River near Carleton University. Daily flow data and other data is available from 1933 to 2005, both browsable online and downloadable as comma separated values suitable for loading in a spreadsheet. Charting is available online. For near real-time data look for the link “Real-Time Hydrometric Data – Search for real-time water levels at over 1200 hydrometric stations across Canada.” The search page is slightly convoluted, select Order By “Station Number” then View all Stations within “Ontario” and scroll the list to “02LA004.” The real-time data is only available as level not flow, so it is not directly comparable to the historical flow data.
Flood Plain Map by Rideau Valley Conservation Authority
Check out the great watershed resources on the RVCA website, including this GIS mapping tool that lets you drill down to see the flood plain map through Old Ottawa South. Their WIS website is somewhat tricky to navigate through, but look for “WIS Sites” page in the “User Manual Navigation” on the right hand side, then most of the links after the first section lead to various online GIS map viewers.
Related Documents
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority historical peak flows (highs and lows) at Carleton University monitoring station.
Local resident Harry Thomson‘s historical water levels at Rideau River Drive S between Belmont and Fentiman Avenues.