Cachuma Lake water level chart
By Michael, independent developer behind zovo.one. Latest CDEC month October 2026.
CDEC's latest monthly storage figure for Cachuma Lake is 161,348 acre-feet, for October 2026, 83 percent of its 193,305 acre-foot capacity. It is the 28th highest of the 67 October figures from 1960 to 2026.
Where October 2026 sits in 71 years of readings
CDEC's latest monthly storage figure for Cachuma Lake is 161,348 acre-feet for October 2026. That is 83 percent of its 193,305 acre-foot capacity.
The file holds 67 October figures from 1960 to 2026. This one is the 28th highest of them. The average October figure across those years is 138,296 acre-feet, so the lake holds 117 percent of its average for the month.
Across every month from January 1960 on, 381 of 801 months were lower than today. That is 48 percent of those months.
The record low and the record high
The lowest monthly figure since January 1960 is 14,222 acre-feet, in September 2016. The highest is 208,460 acre-feet, in May 1974. That high is above the capacity CDEC lists today.
CDEC lists 1959 as the year Cachuma Lake first filled. So the ranks, the average and the record low on this page count months from January 1960 on. That boundary is ours, not CDEC's. The file itself starts in August 1955.
How to read this chart
The line is storage, the volume of water in the reservoir, in acre-feet. It is not the surface elevation. CDEC publishes storage as one figure per month back to the start of the record, which is why this chart uses it. The dashed line is the capacity CDEC lists for the reservoir. The dotted line marks January 1960, where the ranks start.
Want today's elevation and percent full rather than the monthly record? The Cachuma Lake water level page carries the latest daily CDEC reading.
Questions about the Cachuma Lake record
How far back does this chart go? To August 1955, the first month in CDEC's monthly storage file for station CCH. The file carries 853 monthly readings through October 2026.
Is Cachuma Lake low for October? It is the 28th highest of 67 October readings, at 117 percent of the October average.
What is the lowest it has been? 14,222 acre-feet in September 2016, counting from January 1960.
How often does this page update? The build fetches the CDEC file again every day and recomputes each figure. A new month shows up once CDEC publishes it.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure on this page is computed in code from CDEC's monthly reservoir storage file for station CCH. The capacity and the first fill year come from CDEC's reservoir information page for the station. The build drops months that CDEC marks as missing. None of the numbers is typed by hand.
The same chart exists for 11 other California lakes. They are Shasta Lake, Lake Oroville, Lake Berryessa, Folsom Lake, Pine Flat Lake, Lake Isabella, Millerton Lake, New Melones Lake, Don Pedro Reservoir, San Luis Reservoir and Casitas Reservoir. The California lake levels page covers every reservoir in CDEC's daily storage summary.
Levels are point-in-time readings and can lag real conditions. Confirm ramp and hazard status with the lake operator before heading out. Not affiliated with any government agency. Data is republished from public USGS, CDEC and USBR feeds.