1012.02 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge)
level 76.0 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading from California DWR — California Data Exchange Center (CDEC station NML); it refreshes with each site update rather than live.
New Melones 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.
- 2006 (wettest on record)
- 2016 (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 | 1088.00 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge) · per USBR (Central Valley Project) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 2,400,000 acre-feet · per USBR (Central Valley Project) capacity reference |
| Gauge | CDEC station NML · California DWR — California Data Exchange Center |
| Datum | project datum (matches CDEC gauge) — Full pool = SPK level 'New Melones.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Gross Pool' = 1088.0 |
| 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 New Melones Lake right now?
New Melones Lake is at 1012.02 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)) as of August 14, 2026 — 76.0 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is New Melones Lake full?
Not quite — at 1012.02 ft, New Melones Lake is 76.0 ft below its full pool of 1088.00 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)).
What is full pool for New Melones Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for New Melones Lake is 1088.00 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.