Water Levels | Brandywine Red Clay Alliance

On this page are links to current water level data for Chester County, PA and New Castle County, Delaware, with a focus on Brandywine and Red Clay Watersheds.

We measure water levels in three ways:

Precipitation– is a measure of rain and snowfall and reflects precipitation falling on the ground, both pervious surfaces (soil, forest, lawns) and impervious surfaces (pavement, roofs, etc.). This precipitation either infiltrates the soils and becomes part of the subsurface groundwater or becomes stormwater run-off that flows directly to streams and waterways.
Ground Water is measured at a test well and is the average depth to water in feet below the land surface. High precipitation is often reflected as high groundwater and may result in standing water in low areas after a rain event. Conversely, low groundwater reflects a lack of precipitation and potentially drought conditions.
Stream Flow– is a measure of the average flow, in cubic feet per second in a stream. This chart shows stream flow on the Brandywine Creek at Chadds Ford, PA. Stormwater run-off will often be reflected as higher stream flows. In wet months, soils may be saturated and most precipitation flows directly to streams which may rise quickly. During drought conditions, stream base flow is fed by groundwater seeping into streams and is reflected as lower flows in the stream.

Together these three measurements are related and give a picture of current water levels and may explain conditions that we observe including standing water, flooding waterways, erosion, low water levels and drought stressed vegetation.

If you’d like to see more and specific data for your location or local stream, click on the interactive maps for site specific data from water flow to temperature to turbidity and pH.

Today’s Water Levels for Chester County

Precipitation (Moving 90-Day)