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You'll be notified when this gauge is rising more than 0.10 m/hr — a sign of rapidly increasing water levels.
You'll be notified when a new storm-overflow (sewage) discharge starts within ~3 km of this gauge, based on the water companies' near-real-time feeds.
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Not an emergency service — if in danger call 999. Alerts rely on
EA/SEPA/NRW data and are best-efforts. Terms
Current Level
0.087 mASD
▬ Steady
24h Max
0.089 mASD
24h Min
0.086 mASD
Typical Range
0.07 - 1.21
mASD
Highest Recorded
2.52 mASD
EA official record
2.36 in our data (since Jan 1982)
Current level is 3% of this
🚽Sewage overflows nearby
Recent Water Levels
🌍 floodradar.co.uk
1 day
EA forecast (official)
Flood predictions aren't generated for
lock / structure gauges —
their levels are driven by gate operation,
not by catchment rainfall, so the forecast models would have no skill here.
River Flow
90 days
Daily mean discharge (m³/s) with the daily min–max band, from the EA Hydrology API. Flow is the volume of water passing the gauge — often a more direct flood signal than level.
Downstream level
7 days
The level on the DOWNSTREAM side of this lock/weir structure — a separate EA
measure from the main (upstream) reading shown on the Current tab. Threshold bands
are computed from this gauge's own downstream history.
Flow Data: Daily mean flow (m³/s) to 8 Oct (2 days behind — the EA publishes each day's mean a day or two after it ends; unchecked, provisional)via EA Hydrology
None of the storm overflows FloodRadar holds is traced upstream of this gauge on the mapped river network. That is not the same as none: the map leaves out many small streams and culverts, so an overflow it cannot place may still drain here, and not every company publishes every overflow.
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 →
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 Waltham Abbey flood history.
Flood areas linked to this gauge
Flood warnings and alerts are issued for whole areas. These are the 9 areas linked to this gauge, nearest first.
🌊 FlashyRain runs off fast — levels rise and fall sharply, often within hours of heavy rain.
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
0.22
flashy — rain runs off fast
Avg Annual Rainfall
648 mm/yr
1991–2020 · +6% since 1941–70
Urban Extent
5.1%
partly urbanised
Median Annual Flood
7.47 m³/s
QMED — typical yearly peak flow
Highest Daily Mean Flow
11.80 m³/s
29 Oct 2000 · daily mean, not the instantaneous peak
Flow-Duration Curve
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 14%Grassland 31%Arable 43%Urban 12%
Arable 48% → 43% since 1990
Photos
Gauging-station photographs from the National River Flow Archive (UKCEH).
This station, opened in June 1971, is on a small tributary of the River Lee within a suburban area. The station has a relatively large capacity gauging structure and has a flow record in excess of forty years.
More detail
The catchment
Cobbins Brook drains an impervious (London Clay) catchment which includes part of Epping Forest. Substantial urban development occurs in the vicinity of the gauging station but this constitutes a small percentage of the overall catchment landuse.
The station
Trapezoidal critical-depth flume with an overall width of 10m.
How it measures flow
Drowning and damage to the exit transition (repaired in 1992) influences the performance of the station. Two ratings have been applied across the POR. The most recent is valid from October 1982. This post M25 construction rating was derived by hydraulic modelling (Halcrow). It includes backwater effects from the M25 culvert (350m d/s of the station) and a double pipe crossing (500m d/s). Two existing ratings are very similar up to 1m.
Flow regime
The net impact of PWS abstractions and discharges on the natural responsive flow pattern is minimal. M25 motorway runoff can, however, be significant. In 2010 a large flood storage area was built near Cobbins Brook to protect Waltham Abbey and so will reduce flood peaks at Sewardstone Road.
The flow record
A gap in the record from June 1982 to May 1983 inclusive was due to the building of the M25 motorway; flows could not be estimated as the river was diverted through two pipes which were too small for the purpose. In January 1992 repairs were carried out to the exit transit which was damaged and affecting performance - datum unaffected. There was also a gap of 2 months - August to September 1994 - for repairs to the weir. Recorded flows may be overestimates and the structure is insensitive at low flows. Data suspect during summer months 2014-2022 due to stilling well blockage (notably 08/03/2014 - 09/07/2014, 08/03/2015 - 02/08/2015, 15/02/2016 - 27/06/2016, 12/05/2018 - 01/06/2018, 22/05/2020 - 23/07/2020, 11/03/2022 - 23/09/2022). Station records very low flows, but zero flows in 2020 and 2022 thought to result from siltation of the inlet pipe. Full period of record peak flow data reviewed and released in August 2025 (WINFAP Files v14).
How this gauging station is built and how long it has measured (NRFA / UKCEH).
Gauge type
Flume
Operating since
1971
Station datum
17.2 mAOD
Flow record
1971–2024 · 53 yrs · 95% complete
Peak-flow record
since 1971
Hydrometric area
38
Measured by
Environment Agency
Nearby Groundwater
Soil Moisture
Frequently asked questions
Is the Cobbins Brook at Waltham Abbey, Sewardstone Road flooding today?
The current level is 0.09m, which is within the typical range of 0.07 to 1.21m. Flooding is unlikely at this level.
Is the river level rising or falling at Waltham Abbey, Sewardstone Road?
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 Cobbins Brook at Waltham Abbey, Sewardstone Road?
The typical range at this station is 0.07m to 1.21m, based on Environment Agency historical data. Levels above 1.21m 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:
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