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How is water measured?
The Water Survey of Canada, Environment Canada  , along with many contributing agencies, measure the rate of flow (discharge) in rivers and record the levels of lakes and rivers at more than 2 600 locations in Canada.
Typical river flows are listed in this table. 
- Water levels are read manually by gauge readers or continuously recorded either digitally or on graph paper.
- Rate of flow (or discharge) requires multiple measurements of channel depth, width, and flow velocity to yield the average discharge in the stream crossing for a given water level. Measurements can be made from a bridge, by wading in a stream, by boat or from a cableway strung across the river. In winter, the measurements are made through the ice.
- With sufficient measurements of flow over a variety of water levels (including extreme lows and highs), a water level-discharge relationship is established at each location. The discharge rate can then be computed from measured water levels.
- Historical records from 5 000 active and discontinued sites permit the estimation of streamflow at ungauged locations.
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