The Environment agency uses a network of monitoring stations across the country. Each one has its own datum - a height in metres fixed relative to mean sea level. This height is expressed as metres above ordnance datum (mAOD). The river levels we provide for each monitoring station are all relative to its site datum.

If we didn't do this, we'd show some very high measurements, which could cause confusion. By using a local site datum, the river levels are easier to understand, especially by users familiar with the data from a particular monitoring station.

A river's height above ordnance datum can be seen by adding the site datum to the river level.