Methodology: status and activity outlook
Status and activity outlook are calculated with fixed public rules from official data – not by AI.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ▼ low | below mean low water (MNW) |
| ● normal | within the normal range |
| ▲ high | above mean high water (MHW) |
| ◆ above HSW | above the highest navigable water level (HSW) |
| ○ no thresholds | without published thresholds |
| ◌ out of date | currently without a recent reading (older than 3 hours) |
Activity outlook
Three levels: suitable / take care / not recommended. If a required input is missing we show “not enough data” instead of guessing. During floods (above HSW) every leisure activity is “not recommended”. Each rating can be expanded on the gauge page to show which rule passed.
- Shipping: suitable = status normal; restricted = below MNW; take care = above MHW; not recommended = above HSW.
- Paddling: not recommended above MHW or HSW; take care below MNW (shallows, portages) or with more than 20 cm change in 24 h; otherwise suitable.
- Fishing: not recommended above HSW; take care above MHW or with more than 30 cm change in 24 h; otherwise suitable. Closed seasons and permits are on the state fishing-rule pages.
- Swimming: not recommended above MHW/HSW or below 15 °C water temperature; without measured water temperature “not enough data”. “Suitable” only at ≥ 18 °C, with an EU bathing site rated excellent or good within 5 km and away from federal waterways – so at PEGELONLINE gauges (federal waterways with shipping) at most “take care”.