489.51 ft APC datum (ft MSL)
level 0.5 ft below full pool — unusually high for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data (USACE series Martin.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Raw-APCO) and updates live when you load this page.
Lake Martin through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 2004–2026. 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.
- 2020 (wettest on record)
- 2007 (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 | 490.00 ft APC datum (ft MSL) · per Alabama Power (APC) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USACE series Martin.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Raw-APCO · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data |
| Datum | APC datum (ft MSL) — Live = NWPS 'Tallapoosa River at Martin Dam' pool gauge. Full pool = APC guide-curve max 490 (491 in legacy 'Martin datum' cites). |
| 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 Lake Martin right now?
Lake Martin is at 489.51 ft (APC datum (ft MSL)) as of August 15, 2026 — 0.5 ft below full pool — unusually high for mid-August
Is Lake Martin full?
Not quite — at 489.51 ft, Lake Martin is 0.5 ft below its full pool of 490.00 ft (APC datum (ft MSL)).
What is full pool for Lake Martin?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Lake Martin is 490.00 ft APC datum (ft MSL), per Alabama Power (APC) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.