421.61 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge)
level 44.4 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading from California DWR — California Data Exchange Center (CDEC station FOL); it refreshes with each site update rather than live.
Folsom Lake 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.
- 2026 (wettest on record)
- 1988 (driest on record)
- 2025 (last 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 | 466.00 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge) · per USBR (Central Valley Project) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 977,000 acre-feet · per USBR (Central Valley Project) capacity reference |
| Gauge | CDEC station FOL · California DWR — California Data Exchange Center |
| Datum | project datum (matches CDEC gauge) — Full pool = SPK level 'Folsom Lake.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Gross Pool' = 466.0 |
| 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 Folsom Lake right now?
Folsom Lake is at 421.61 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)) as of August 14, 2026 — 44.4 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Folsom Lake full?
Not quite — at 421.61 ft, Folsom Lake is 44.4 ft below its full pool of 466.00 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)).
What is full pool for Folsom Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Folsom Lake is 466.00 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge), per USBR (Central Valley Project) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.