About LakeLevelNow

LakeLevelNow shows the current water level and percent full for US lakes and reservoirs, pulled straight from public water-data feeds — not scraped from other websites. The goal is a single, fast, honest place to see how full a lake is right now, how it's trending, and whether you can realistically launch a boat.

Where the data comes from

Each lake's reading comes from its own authoritative feed:

USGS Water Services

Thousands of US gages (gage height and reservoir elevation). Free, keyless, updates every 15–60 minutes.

CDEC (California Data Exchange)

California reservoir storage and elevation, daily. Used for Shasta, Oroville, Folsom, Berryessa, and other CA reservoirs.

Additional feeds

LCRA HydroMet for Texas Highland Lakes, USBR for Mead/Powell, USACE district data — wired as the registry grows.

How we compute things

Percent full

Current storage (acre-feet) ÷ the reservoir's published full capacity, as a percentage.

Feet below full pool

Full-pool elevation − current elevation. Positive means below full; negative means above.

24-hour change

Difference between the two most recent readings in the series.

~30-day trend

The sparkline of the last ~30 daily or instantaneous readings.

Freshness policy

A reading is shown as live only if it is within 7 days. If a gage hasn't reported recently, LakeLevelNow flags it "may be delayed" rather than pass an old number off as current. Lakes whose feed isn't yet wired show reference data and a note — never a fabricated level.

Accuracy & your responsibility

These are point-in-time readings from public feeds; they can lag real conditions, and reservoir operators can change releases and gate operations at any time. Always confirm current ramp status, hazards, and conditions with the lake operator before you go on the water. LakeLevelNow is not affiliated with any government agency.

Contact

Spot a wrong gage, a mislabeled lake, or a feed you'd like added? Email hello@lakelevelnow.com.