Griffeen at Lucan
0.23 m
Flow 0.545 m³/s (median 0.312 m³/s)
Aibhneacha agus Faoin Aer
River & Outdoors
Rye Water and nearby river levels, air quality, and the parks, greenways and walks of North Kildare.
The Rye Water at Leixlip is steady as of Tue 08:30, at 27.553 m above Ordnance Datum and just above the OPW median reference of 27.546 m (WEB.Percentile-50), while Hazelhatch and the Tolka at Clonee Weir are also steady and no trend was reported for the other gauges. The EPA Air Quality Index for Health reads 1, Good, at Leixlip Library, Lucan, Celbridge and Naas on Tuesday morning.
The Rye Water at LeixlipOPW gauge 09001
0.28 mon the gauge, 27.553 m above Ordnance Datum
Steady
Flow 0.679 m³/s at 07:45; OPW’s long-term median flow here is 1.39 m³/s.
| Level | m OD | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Median level: exceeded half the time WEB.Percentile-50 | 27.546 | Above |
| Exceeded only 5% of the time WEB.Percentile-05 | 27.991 | Below |
| Median of the yearly highest levels WEB.YearHyd.Amax(median) | 28.611 | Below |
| Highest yearly maximum on record WEB.YearHyd.Amax(highest) | 29.581 | Below |
More gauges nearby
Rye Water at Annes Bridge
0.13 m
Flow 0.096 m³/s
Lyreen at Maynooth
0.24 m
Flow 0.380 m³/s (median 0.595 m³/s)
Hazelhatch stream at Hazelhatch
0.23 m Steady
OPW’s long-term figures
- Median level: exceeded half the time: 54.091 m OD WEB.Percentile-50
- Exceeded only 5% of the time: 54.424 m OD WEB.Percentile-05
- Median of the yearly highest levels: 54.665 m OD WEB.YearHyd.Amax(median)
- Highest yearly maximum on record: 55.330 m OD WEB.YearHyd.Amax(highest)
Morell at Morell Bridge
0.24 m
Flow 0.599 m³/s
Tolka at Clonee Weir
0.20 m Steady
OPW’s long-term figures
- Median level: exceeded half the time: 55.152 m OD WEB.Percentile-50
- Exceeded only 5% of the time: 55.375 m OD WEB.Percentile-05
- Median of the yearly highest levels: 56.142 m OD WEB.YearHyd.Amax(median)
- Highest yearly maximum on record: 56.364 m OD WEB.YearHyd.Amax(highest)
Reading the river levels
- Each level is in metres above that gauge’s own zero (the foot of its staff gauge), not the depth of the river, so compare a gauge only with its own history, never with another gauge.
- We don’t set flood levels. Where OPW publishes long-term figures for a gauge, such as the level exceeded only 5% of the time, we show them under OPW’s own names, in metres above Ordnance Datum.
- On the Liffey itself, ESB runs a hydro station and dam at Leixlip. It publishes daily Liffey figures, including the Leixlip headrace level, Leixlip flow and forecast releases from its dams, on its hydrometric information page ↗.
- For flood risk and flood relief schemes see OPW’s floodinfo.ie ↗; for weather warnings see our weather page or Met Éireann ↗. Flooding on a road: Kildare County Council, 045 980 200, or out of hours 1800 500 444.
- Readings arrive automatically and are provisional: OPW and the EPA may correct them later.
Air quality
Leixlip Library
1out of 10 on the Air Quality Index for HealthGood
Lucan
1out of 10 on the Air Quality Index for HealthGood
Celbridge
1out of 10 on the Air Quality Index for HealthGood
Naas
1out of 10 on the Air Quality Index for HealthGood
What the Air Quality Index for Health means
The EPA’s index runs from 1 (good) to 10 (very poor). It is worked out from the pollutants a monitor measures, using 24-hour means for fine (PM2.5) and coarser (PM10) particles and hourly means for nitrogen dioxide.
| Band | Everyone | At-risk groups |
|---|---|---|
| Good 1–3 | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. |
| Fair 4–6 | Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. | Adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, who experience symptoms, should consider reducing strenuous physical activity, particularly outdoors. |
| Poor 7–9 | Anyone experiencing discomfort such as sore eyes, cough or sore throat should consider reducing activity, particularly outdoors. | Adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, should reduce strenuous physical activity, particularly outdoors, and particularly if they experience symptoms. People with asthma may find they need to use their reliever inhaler more often. Older people should also reduce physical exertion. |
| Very poor 10 | Reduce physical exertion, particularly outdoors, especially if you experience symptoms such as cough or sore throat. | Adults and children with lung problems, adults with heart problems, and older people, should avoid strenuous physical activity. People with asthma may find they need to use their reliever inhaler more often. |
Walks and green spaces
Royal Canal Greenway, Leixlip to Maynooth ↗
Leixlip–Maynooth
A 7.75 km walking and cycling route beside the Royal Canal from Confey/Cope Bridge in Leixlip to Maynooth Harbour, opened in 2025, with a segregated cycle track beside part of the R148; from Leixlip you can follow the canal west for more than 120 km to Cloondara, Co. Longford.
The Rye Walk ↗
Leixlip
Part of the Leixlip Heritage Trail: the Royal Canal towpath from Louisa Bridge to the Ryewater Aqueduct, past the Leixlip waterfall and the remains of the 1790s Leixlip Spa.
St Catherine’s Park (Lucan Demesne) ↗
Leixlip–Lucan
About 200 acres of woodland and grassland on the Liffey, shared by Kildare, Fingal and South Dublin, with a footbridge between Leixlip and Lucan, walking loops of 2 to 5 km through the woods and along the river, and parking off the Black Avenue on the Kildare side.
Silleachain Lane ↗
Leixlip
A steep, historic lane beside the Silleachain Stream that was once the main road to Dunboyne; now a quiet cul-de-sac kept for biodiversity and amenity, passing the Black Castle.
Rye Water Valley/Carton SAC ↗
Leixlip–Maynooth
A Special Area of Conservation along the Rye Water between Leixlip and Maynooth, protected for its rare petrifying (tufa-forming) springs and two tiny whorl snails; it takes in the mineral spring and marsh at Louisa Bridge and the old demesne woods and lakes of the Carton estate.
Castletown House parklands ↗
Celbridge
Eighteenth-century parklands on the banks of the Liffey around Castletown, Ireland’s earliest Palladian house, cared for by the OPW; the parklands are open all year and the house opens for guided tours in season.
Harbour Field ↗
Maynooth
An accessible community park by Maynooth’s canal harbour, on the Royal Canal Greenway, with a large playground, skate park, basketball court, outdoor gym and boardwalk.
Donadea Forest Park ↗
Near Kilcock
Coillte’s forest park on the former Aylmer family estate, 8 km south of Kilcock: the ruins of Donadea Castle, walled gardens, a 19th-century lime avenue, a small lake and a café open all year.
Where this comes from
- OPW waterlevel.ie ↗
Contains Irish Public Sector Information licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (source http://waterlevel.ie - provided by the Office of Public Works.)
Checked 13 Oct, 08:37 · Irish time
- OPW Hydro-Data ↗
Reference levels and the Rye Water’s flow. Contains Irish Public Sector Information licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence (source http://waterlevel.ie/hydro-data/ - provided by the Office of Public Works.)
Checked 13 Oct, 08:37 · Irish time
- EPA HydroNet ↗
Water levels and flows at EPA and county council gauges. EPA open data, CC BY 4.0; provisional, and the EPA and station owners give no guarantee of it.
Checked 13 Oct, 08:37 · Irish time
- EPA air quality (airquality.ie) ↗
The Air Quality Index for Health and particle readings at the EPA’s monitors, as airquality.ie publishes them: automatic, provisional results.
Checked 13 Oct, 08:37 · Irish time
