Discharge data

Discharge and water temperature time series

New Feb. 2026: The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment published a database that gives advanced metadata on their gauging stations at this link, the file is currently in German only: "Messnetzkonzept Hydrologie - Zuordnung aktuelle Stationen zu Anwendungsgebieten Stand 2022.xlsx"

NEW 05. 06. 2024: The Swiss CAMELS-CH data set is online, featuring daily discharge data for most national gauges, with meteorological time series and catchment attributes:

• CAMELS-CH: https://zenodo.org/records/10354485, corresponding manuscript: https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/15/5755/2023/essd-15-5755-2023.pdf, GitHub: https://github.com/camels-ch/camel

Swiss Federal resources

• Observed current and past discharge, water temperature and lake level data (time series) are available from http://www.hydrodaten.admin.ch.
  • Spatial data on the catchment extent (shape files) are available here.
• The gauge / water level locations are visible here  and a station list here.
• No online download, for ordering contact the " Data service Hydrology" see here.

  • Daily Discharge data for most national gauges for the period 1981-2020 is available in the CAMELS-CH data set, with meteo time series and catchment attributes: CAMELS-CH: https://zenodo.org/records/10354485, corresponding manuscript: https://essd.copernicus.org/articles/15/5755/2023/essd-15-5755-2023.pdf, GitHub: https://github.com/camels-ch/camel

  • In addition: HydroCH is an hourly discharge database for hydrological Switzerland, published on Zenodo by Martina Kauzlaric et al., 2023: https://zenodo.org/record/7691294#.ZAB6sRXMI2x

• Simulated monthly runoff values and river regime classification for entire Switzerland are available from simulations completed by the WSL for the FOEN/BAFU (link updated Feb 2024); (new) this includes simulations for future periods. The data set keeps on migrating, ask google for  called "mean monthly and annual runoffs + BAFU".
  • See corresponding entry in https://wiki.epfl.ch/hydrodata/hydroregime

Cantonal resources (incomplete list, updated on 02 June 2021 based on a list by M. Floriancic in this Supplement from this paper).

• Canton de Vaud: http://www.vhv.ch/ (completely renewed, online download)
• Canton de Neuchâtel: http://www.vhne.ch/
• Canton de Genève: http://www.vhg.ch/

• Kanton Aargau: https://www.ag.ch/app/hydrometrie/station/
• Kanton Basel Landschaft: https://hydro-jb.bl.ch/main_hydro.htm
• Kanton Bern: https://www.bve.be.ch/bve/de/index/wasser/wasser/messdaten/fliessgewaesser.html
• Kanton Graubünden: https://www.seba-hydrocenter.de/projects/index.php?user=anuchurpub
• Kanton Luzern: https://uwe.lu.ch/themen/gewaesser/hydrometrie/abfluss_und_seepegel
• Kanton Schaffhausen: http://www.hydrodaten.tg.ch/app/index.html#Abfluss
• Kanton Solothurn: https://so.ch/verwaltung/bau-und-justizdepartement/amt-fuer-umwelt/umweltdaten/wasser/hydrometrie/daten/#
• Kanton St.Gallen: http://www.hydrodaten.sg.ch/#Abfluss
• Kanton Thurgau: http://www.hydrodaten.tg.ch/app/index.html#Abfluss
• Kanton Ticino: https://www4.ti.ch/dt/dc/uca/temi/corsi-dacqua/corsi-dacqua/compiti/idrologia-e-pericoli-naturali/idrologia/
• Kanton Zürich: https://awel.zh.ch/internet/baudirektion/awel/de/wasser/messdaten/abfluss_wasserstand/jb_abfluss.html