Last updated: July 2026
The short version
Paddle or Portage is a simple SMS service. When you text it, it looks up river gauge data and texts you back. We do not store your message or raw phone number.
What information is collected
When you send a text message to this service, your message is received by Twilio (our SMS provider) and forwarded to our server. The server reads the gauge number you sent, queries USGS or Environment and Climate Change Canada depending on the gauge, and sends a reply.
We keep a small amount of privacy-minimized operational data to operate, secure, and improve the service. Specifically:
- Your raw phone number is not stored in our application database or logs.
- The content of your message is not stored.
- For up to 10 days, we retain a pseudonymous, day-scoped cryptographic identifier and basic operational results (such as whether a reply was sent or a gauge provider failed). This helps us diagnose service reliability. It cannot be used by itself to recover your phone number.
- We retain aggregate gauge-interest statistics indefinitely, using a protected pseudonymous token to count each person once per gauge.
- No cookies are used on this website
- No analytics or tracking tools are used on this website
Third-party services
This service uses three third-party services to function:
Twilio handles SMS delivery. When you send a text to this number, your message passes through Twilio's infrastructure. Twilio's own privacy policy governs how they handle that data. You can read it at twilio.com/en-us/legal/privacy.
USGS Water Services provides river gauge data in the United States. Your gauge query is sent to the USGS API as a site number only — no personal information is transmitted. USGS is a US government agency.
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Wateroffice provides Canadian river gauge data. Your gauge query is sent to its public service as a station identifier only — no personal information is transmitted.
SMS consent
By texting this service, you consent to receive a single SMS reply containing the gauge data you requested. You will not receive any further messages unless you send another query. This service does not send unsolicited messages, marketing messages, or messages of any kind that you did not directly initiate.
Standard messaging rates from your carrier or satellite provider may apply.
Data sharing
We do not sell or rent personal information. We do not store or share raw phone numbers or message content. The limited data described above is processed only to operate the service.
Children's privacy
This service is not directed at children under 13 and does not knowingly collect information from children.
Changes to this policy
If this policy changes, the updated version will be posted at this URL with a revised date. Given the nature of this service, significant changes are unlikely.
Contact
Questions about this privacy policy? Email jamtastical3@gmail.com.