395.70 ft APC datum (ft MSL)
level 0.3 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data (USACE series Lay.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Raw-APCO) and updates live when you load this page.
Lay Lake through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 2017–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.
This year vs the years that matter
This year's trace against last year and the driest and wettest years on record — the drought-context question every lake regular asks.
- 2019 (wettest on record)
- 2023 (driest on record)
- 2025 (last year)
- 2026 (this year)
Full pool, datum, and the gauge
"Full pool" here means the conservation pool — the level the lake is designed to hold for water supply and recreation, not the flood-control space above it. The full explainer covers flood pool and dead pool too.
| Full pool | 396.00 ft APC datum (ft MSL) · per Alabama Power (APC) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USACE series Lay.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Raw-APCO · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data |
| Datum | APC datum (ft MSL) — Live = NWPS 'Coosa River at Lay Dam' pool gauge. Full pool 396 ft per APC Shorelines reservoir facts (no APC guide-curve series in CWMS for Lay). |
| Last verified | August 15, 2026 |
LakeDates reports lake level, not ramp status. Whether a given ramp or marina is usable at this level varies ramp by ramp — call the marina before you tow.
Quick answers
How full is Lay Lake right now?
Lay Lake is at 395.70 ft (APC datum (ft MSL)) as of August 15, 2026 — 0.3 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Lay Lake full?
Not quite — at 395.70 ft, Lay Lake is 0.3 ft below its full pool of 396.00 ft (APC datum (ft MSL)).
What is full pool for Lay Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Lay Lake is 396.00 ft APC datum (ft MSL), per Alabama Power (APC) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.