555.12 ft project datum (NGVD29-era)
level 1.4 ft above full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data (USACE series Norfork_Dam-Headwater.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Decodes-rev) and updates live when you load this page.
Norfork Lake through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1990–2026. 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.
- 2008 (wettest on record)
- 2006 (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 | 553.75 ft project datum (NGVD29-era) · per USACE Little Rock District (SWL) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 745,900 acre-feet · per USACE Little Rock District (SWL) capacity reference |
| Gauge | USACE series Norfork_Dam-Headwater.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Decodes-rev · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data |
| Datum | project datum (NGVD29-era) — Full pool = top of power pool 553.75; flood pool 580. |
| 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 Norfork Lake right now?
Norfork Lake is at 555.12 ft (project datum (NGVD29-era)) as of August 15, 2026 — 1.4 ft above full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Norfork Lake full?
Yes and then some — at 555.12 ft, Norfork Lake is 1.4 ft above its full pool of 553.75 ft (project datum (NGVD29-era)), using flood storage.
What is full pool for Norfork Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Norfork Lake is 553.75 ft project datum (NGVD29-era), per USACE Little Rock District (SWL) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.