Privacy / Plainly stated
What we do
with your ZIP.
HighWater has no accounts and no database. The ZIP code you type is turned into coordinates by files already downloaded to your browser.
What you enter
One thing: a five-digit US ZIP code. HighWater does not ask for an address, a name, an email or a phone number, and there is nowhere to create an account.
Your ZIP is matched to its centroid using static data files your browser downloads from this site. That lookup happens on your device. The ZIP is also written into this page's address bar so a report can be bookmarked or shared, which means it will appear in your browser history.
Requests your browser makes
Building a report causes your browser to contact these third parties directly. We do not run a server that relays them, and we never see the responses.
| Service | What is sent |
|---|---|
NOAA National Water Prediction Service (api.water.noaa.gov) | The identifiers of the river gauges near you. Your ZIP is not sent. |
National Weather Service (api.weather.gov) | The latitude and longitude of your ZIP code's centroid, to look up active alerts. This is the center of a ZIP-code area, not your address. |
Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com) | A standard request for the typefaces this site uses. |
Both government services are subject to their own privacy policies, and both will see your IP address as any website you visit would.
What is stored
Nothing you enter is stored by us. There is no HighWater database, no server-side log of your ZIP code, and no profile. The site is static files on a content delivery network.
Analytics
This site uses Google Analytics to count visits and to see whether reports complete successfully. When a report finishes, we record the flood status it produced, how many gauges were nearby, and whether a forecast existed.
Your ZIP code is never sent to Google Analytics, and neither is your location. Google Analytics collects its own standard information, including your IP address and general region.
Advertising
This site participates in Google AdSense. Google and its partners may use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. You can opt out of personalised advertising through Google Ads Settings, and manage cookies through your browser.
Changes
If this policy changes, the updated version appears on this page. Questions can go to the klepZ hub.