4488.81 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge)
level 5.2 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading from California DWR — California Data Exchange Center (CDEC station ALM); it refreshes with each site update rather than live.
Lake Almanor through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1985–2026. 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.
- 2017 (wettest on record)
- 2021 (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 | 4494.00 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge) · per PG&E (FERC Project 2105) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 1,308,000 acre-feet · per PG&E (FERC Project 2105) capacity reference |
| Gauge | CDEC station ALM · California DWR — California Data Exchange Center |
| Datum | project datum (matches CDEC gauge) — 'At a full reservoir elevation of 4494 feet, Lake Almanor contains over 1 million acre-feet' (chamber page; PG&E is operator) |
| 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 Almanor right now?
Lake Almanor is at 4488.81 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)) as of August 14, 2026 — 5.2 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Lake Almanor full?
Not quite — at 4488.81 ft, Lake Almanor is 5.2 ft below its full pool of 4494.00 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)).
What is full pool for Lake Almanor?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Lake Almanor is 4494.00 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge), per PG&E (FERC Project 2105) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.