Water Levels by State
Reservoir levels and river flows for every state on the site.
Photo of Lake Okeechobee: Idawriter, CC BY-SA 3.0
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- Texas water levelsTexas Water Development Board reservoir readings and USGS gauges, refreshed hourly.
- Florida water levelsUSGS lake gauges and Corps of Engineers (CWMS) lake stages, refreshed hourly.
- California water levelsCDEC reservoir storage and elevation readings and USGS gauges.
- North Carolina water levelsState and USGS gauges.
Each state page names its sources and the time of every reading.
What the numbers mean
Reservoir pages show the surface elevation in feet above sea level and, where the agency publishes it, how full the conservation pool is. A lake at 100 percent is at its normal full pool; a reading above that is water held in the flood pool, which the dam operator releases over the following days.
Flood control reservoirs such as Addicks and Barker in Houston are normally dry and only hold water after heavy rain, so they show a level but no percent full. River pages show USGS flow in cubic feet per second, which matters more than the stage for wading and paddling.
How water levels change the fishing
Rising water floods new cover and pushes bass shallow into fresh brush and grass. Falling water pulls fish to the first drop off and can leave ramps out of the water, so check the ramp notes on the lake page before towing a boat.
Readings older than three days are labelled on every page. When a gauge stops reporting, the page says so instead of showing an old number as current.
Fishing guides by state
Photo: William L. Farr, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Captndelta, CC BY-SA 3.0
Questions about water levels by state
Where do the lake levels come from?
From each state’s water agencies and USGS: Texas: Texas Water Development Board reservoir readings and USGS gauges, refreshed hourly; Florida: USGS lake gauges and Corps of Engineers (CWMS) lake stages, refreshed hourly; California: CDEC reservoir storage and elevation readings and USGS gauges; North Carolina: state and USGS gauges.
How often are levels updated?
The site checks every source each hour and shows the time of the reading it used.
What does percent full mean?
The share of the conservation pool that holds water, as published by the reservoir agency. It does not count the flood pool above it.
Why do some reservoirs show no percent full?
Flood control reservoirs have no conservation pool. They are normally dry, so only the level is shown.
Can a lake be over 100 percent full?
Agencies cap percent full at 100. Water above the conservation pool shows as a level above full pool instead.
Are river flows listed too?
Yes. River and creek pages show USGS flow and gauge height from the nearest gauges.
Which states have a levels page?
Texas, Florida, California and North Carolina.
What if a gauge is offline?
The page says the agency has no current reading and links the agency page.