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0.45

Compton Dando

Chew
Bristol Avon Little Avon Axe and North Somerset St catchment • Compton Dando • Bath and North East Somerset • ID: 53125 • Level
(29m ago) • 4 readings/hr • 191 views

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Current Level
0.452 mASD
▬ Steady
24h Max
0.469 mASD
24h Min
0.450 mASD
Typical Range
0.47 - 2.50
mASD
Highest Recorded
4.30 mASD
EA official record
4.28 in our data (since Dec 1991)
Current level is 11% of this
🚽 Sewage overflows nearby

Recent Water Levels

🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day

Recent Readings

Falling · -0.2 cm over 5h
08 Oct 20:00 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.452 mASD
08 Oct 19:45 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.451 mASD
08 Oct 19:30 ▬ steady 0.452 mASD
08 Oct 19:15 ▬ steady 0.452 mASD
08 Oct 19:00 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.452 mASD
08 Oct 18:45 ▬ steady 0.451 mASD
08 Oct 18:30 ▬ steady 0.451 mASD
08 Oct 18:15 ▲ +0.1 cm 0.451 mASD
08 Oct 18:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.450 mASD
08 Oct 17:45 ▬ steady 0.451 mASD
08 Oct 17:30 ▬ steady 0.451 mASD
08 Oct 17:00 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.451 mASD
08 Oct 16:45 ▬ steady 0.452 mASD
08 Oct 16:30 ▬ steady 0.452 mASD
08 Oct 16:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.452 mASD
08 Oct 16:00 ▬ steady 0.453 mASD
08 Oct 15:45 ▬ steady 0.453 mASD
08 Oct 15:30 ▬ steady 0.453 mASD
08 Oct 15:15 ▼ -0.1 cm 0.453 mASD
08 Oct 15:00 0.454 mASD

Station Details

Technical details: references, datum, range, flow archive
  • Station Reference: 53125
  • RLOI id: 3044 (the EA's check-for-flooding station id)
  • EA Gauge ID: 53125-level-stage-i-15_min-mASD
  • Parameter: Level
  • Unit: mASD
  • Typical rise rate: 1 cm/hr (p95 sustained over 90 days)
  • Typical data delay: ~22 min (measured reading→publication lag)
  • Tidal: No
  • Lock / structure: No
  • Catchment Area: Bristol Avon Little Avon Axe and North Somerset St
  • Typical Range: 0.473 – 2.500 mASD
  • Drainage Area: 130 km² upstream of this gauge
  • Flow Data: Daily mean flow (m³/s) to 6 Oct (2 days behind — the EA publishes each day's mean a day or two after it ends; unchecked, provisional) via EA Hydrology
  • EA Cross-check: 0.45 mASD (EA at 8 Oct 19:45)
  • Flow Archive: National River Flow Archive ↗

Geographic coordinates may reflect the access point for the gauge, and not the precise location in the watercourse that it is taking readings from.

Nearby Stations

Gauges connected to this river, and others nearby. A distance “by river” follows the river on the map; any other is in a straight line.

Connected upstream

Connected downstream

Same river system, separate branch

Distances by river: OS Open Rivers. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

💧 Storm overflows upstream of this gauge

Storm overflows whose water reaches this gauge on the mapped river network, nearest first by distance along the river. The status is each water company's monitor: it says whether an overflow is discharging, not how much or what it contains.

6 storm overflows are traced upstream of this gauge, the nearest 8.2 km away along the river. 0 report discharging now, 5 report not discharging, and for 1 the monitor is offline or has not reported, so their status is not known.

💧
Wessex Water · into River Chew · 8.2 km upstream along the river
11 spills · 78 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into River Chew (S) · 9.0 km upstream along the river
4 spills · 4 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into River Chew(S) · 11.3 km upstream along the river
14 spills · 49 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Winford Brook · 12.7 km upstream along the river
25 spills · 93 hours in 2025
Monitor offline: it cannot say whether it is discharging
💧
Wessex Water · into River Chew · 13.2 km upstream along the river
139 spills · 2,529 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Trib Of River Chew · 14.2 km upstream along the river
50 spills · 74 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

Nearby, connection not known

Within 6 km in a straight line, but the river map cannot say whether their water passes this gauge.

💧
Wessex Water · into River Chew(S) · 90 m away in a straight line · too close to the gauge to say which side
39 spills · 528 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Trib Of River Avon Via Sws · 4.1 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
4 spills · 5 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Charlton Bottom Via Sws · 4.2 km away in a straight line · reaches the river through a sewer or culvert
7 spills · 8 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Charlton Bottom Via Sws · 4.3 km away in a straight line · reaches the river through a sewer or culvert
24 spills · 6 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last
💧
Wessex Water · into Conygre Brook · 4.3 km away in a straight line · its watercourse is not on the river map
44 spills · 757 hours in 2025
Not discharging now · last

14 other overflows within 6 km are downstream of this gauge or on another branch of the river network, so they are not listed.

These are the water companies' monitor statuses; a spill does not by itself explain a change in the gauge level. River connections and distances are traced on OS Open Rivers (edition 2026-04), which leaves out many small channels. Explore the sewage map →

Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database rights 2026.

Rainfall & Weather

Loading rainfall and weather data...

How often this river runs high

In a typical year this gauge reaches its typical high of 2.50 m on about 4 days. This year so far: 1 day.

2026 1 day so far
2025 3 days
2024 12 days
2023 6 days
2022 0 days
2021 5 days
2020 6 days
2019 4 days
2018 2 days
2017 1 day

Counted from each day's highest reading. Days with missing or implausible readings are left out.

Flood history near this gauge

Official Environment Agency warnings issued since 2006 for the 5 flood areas linked to this gauge (nearest 2.0 km away).

45flood warnings 196flood alerts

Most recent flood warning: 27 Jan 2026 — River Chew from Stanton Drew to the Bristol Avon at Keynsham

Year by year
YearWarningsAlerts
2026 1 2
2025 4 8
2024 9 22
2023 7 11
2022 0 1
2021 1 8
2020 7 9
2019 8 20
2018 2 12
2017 1 8
2016 5 10
2015 0 7
2014 0 15
2013 0 14
2012 0 30
2011 0 4
2009 0 1
2008 0 8
2007 0 5
2006 0 1

Warnings apply to a whole flood area, not necessarily this exact spot. Years before 2006 aren't covered by the EA's historic record. See also the Compton Dando flood history.

Flood areas linked to this gauge

Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 5 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.

Catchment Character

🌊 Mixed response A balance of quick runoff and slower groundwater baseflow.

Your catchment is all the land that drains rainfall into the river above this gauge. Its character — how steep, wet, wooded, urban or chalky that land is — decides how fast rain here turns into a rising river. A steep, bare or clay catchment is “flashy” (rises and falls quickly, floods easily); a flat, chalk or well-wooded one is slow and steady. The tiles below put numbers to that; the flow-duration curve reads left-to-right from the river’s typical high flows (Q5) down to its low flows (Q95) — a steep curve means a flashy river.

The physical character of the land that drains to this gauge, and how it shapes its flood response — from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Baseflow Index
0.59
mixed response
Avg Annual Rainfall
1,022 mm/yr
1991–2020 · +7% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
0.9%
largely rural
Median Annual Flood
21.41 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
27.60 m³/s
30 May 1979 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
mean 1.233.910.7010.3405% (high)% of days exceeded95% (low)
Daily flow (m³/s) exceeded each % of the time — a steep curve is flashy, a flat one is steady. Q5 high · Q50 median · Q95 low.
Land Cover (2023)
Woodland 6%Grassland 70%Arable 17%Urban 4%Other 4%
Grassland 78% → 70% since 1990

Flow affected by: surface-water abstraction, public water supply.

Photos

Gauging-station photographs from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).

Photos © NRFA / UKCEH & the measuring authority — shown at web resolution. Full gallery on the NRFA ↗

About this gauge

Trapezoidal critical depth flume in deeply incised channel opened in 1958 north of the village of Compton Dando. Ultrasonic gauge installed 2007.

More detail

The catchment

Catchment of mixed geology - predominantly clay. Headwaters fed by limestone springs. Steep valleys downstream of reservoir on impermeable Coal Measures. Land-use is rural. Chew Valley Lake (a reservoir), provides significant storage -started to fill in the mid 1950s.

The station

Station opened in 1958 north of the village of Compton Dando. Trapezoidal critical depth flume in deeply incised channel 5-6 m deep. Wide natural flood plain to north, terrace to south. Ultrasonic gauge installed 11/2007.

How it measures flow

Full range station rated by current meter above 2m owing to backing-up caused by downstream bend. Two peak flow ratings applied across period of record. The most recent (from 1991) includes two modelled upper limbs.

Flow regime

Large storage reservoir of Chew Valley Lake in headwaters; controls approx 40% of catchment area. Flows significantly affected by seasonal compensation flows and surface water abstractions for public water supply and industry.

The flow record

The peak flow associated with the AMAX for the water year 1967/1968 is roughly estimated at 100 cumecs with high uncertainty due to significant extrapolation and debris in the flume. Full period of record peak flow data reviewed and released in September 2019 (WINFAP Files v8) and in August 2025 (WINFAP Files v14).

Descriptions from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH). NRFA station record ↗

Gauge Details

How this gauging station is built and how long it has measured (NRFA / UKCEH).

Gauge type
Flume
Operating since
1958
Station datum
16.8 mAOD
Flow record
1958–2024 · 66 yrs · 98% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1958
Hydrometric area
53
Measured by
Environment Agency

Frequently asked questions

Is the River Chew at Compton Dando flooding today?

The current level is 0.45m, which is below the typical range. Flooding is very unlikely at this level.

Is the river level rising or falling at Compton Dando?

Based on the most recent readings, the level is currently steady. The chart above shows the last 12 hours of measurements by default (up to 7 days), updated roughly every 15 minutes.

What is a normal level for the River Chew at Compton Dando?

The typical range at this station is 0.47m to 2.50m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 2.50m are higher than usually seen and may indicate a flood risk.

How often is this river level data updated?

Readings are supplied by the Environment Agency gauge. FloodRadar checks for updates roughly every 15 minutes; the timestamp above shows how recent the latest available reading is.

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📮 Flood risk by postcode near this gauge

Postcodes within 5 km with properties in the Environment Agency’s rivers-and-sea flood-risk bands:

Check any UK postcode’s flood risk →

🏠 Buying or renting around here? Get the Property Flood-Risk Report for any English postcode — official risk band, recorded floods, warning history, river behaviour and nearby storm overflows. £19 one-off. Learn more →