Why I ask for tips
Hi, I'm Michael. Thank you for being here.
I build and run LakeLevelNow on my own. I started it in June 2026. Since then I added 44 lakes and a daily job that pulls fresh readings from public USGS, CDEC, USBR and TWDB data. About 300 people a month find it on Google.
What it costs me each year
| Domain (lakelevelnow.com, .com renewal at Porkbun) | about $11 |
|---|---|
| Hosting (GitHub Pages) | $0 |
| Gage data (USGS, CDEC, USBR, TWDB) | $0 |
| Total in cash | about $11 |
The rest is my time: keeping the gage feeds working when an agency changes its format, and checking the numbers.
What tips pay for
- The domain renewal, first.
- Time to fix a feed when it breaks, so readings stay current.
- New lakes that people ask for.
Tips unlock nothing. Everyone gets the same tool. Lake pages may show ads, and I sell an optional paid almanac. A tip is separate from both.
Pick an amount on PayPal:
Prefer monthly? On Buy Me a Coffee you can tick "Make this monthly". You can cancel at any time.
PayPal shows my legal name, Michał Lip.
This is a tip, not a purchase. You get nothing extra, and you owe nothing.
The tip card on lake pages counts your visits so it can thank returning visitors. The use count on this site stays in your browser. I never see it.
The site stays free either way.
- Michael