13 lakes live now

Live US lake & reservoir water levels

Percent full and 30-day trend from USGS and CDEC gages, with a plain-English read on whether you can launch a boat.

Lakes with a current reading

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Biggest 24-hour movers

LakeStateLevel24h Δ (ft)
San Luis Reservoir CA 64% −13,377
Shasta Lake CA 81% −13,094
Lake Oroville CA 90% −10,802
Pine Flat Lake CA 68% −8,196
Folsom Lake CA 95% −6,004
Millerton Lake CA 94% −3,548

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Common questions

Where does the lake level data come from?
Directly from public water-data feeds: USGS Water Services for most lakes and CDEC for California reservoirs. LakeLevelNow fetches each lake's own gage — the number you see is the same one the operator reports.
How often are the levels updated?
USGS instantaneous gages update every 15–60 minutes; CDEC storage is daily. Each reading carries a timestamp so you can see exactly when it was taken.
What does "percent full" mean?
Current storage divided by published full capacity, as a percentage. 100% means full pool; low percentages indicate drawdown for drought, flood control, or water supply.
Is the level shown in real time?
Almost — it is the most recent reading from the source, usually minutes to hours old. Always confirm conditions with the lake operator before heading out.