813.09 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge)
level 86.9 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading from California DWR — California Data Exchange Center (CDEC station ORO); it refreshes with each site update rather than live.
Lake Oroville 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)
- 2021 (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 | 900.00 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge) · per CA DWR (State Water Project) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 3,537,577 acre-feet · per CA DWR (State Water Project) capacity reference |
| Gauge | CDEC station ORO · California DWR — California Data Exchange Center |
| Datum | project datum (matches CDEC gauge) — CDEC sensor 6 daily; full pool = SPK level 'Oroville Dam.Elev.Inst.0.Top of Gross Pool' = 900.0 (DWR update pages also cite 900 ft full) |
| 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 Oroville right now?
Lake Oroville is at 813.09 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)) as of August 14, 2026 — 86.9 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Lake Oroville full?
Not quite — at 813.09 ft, Lake Oroville is 86.9 ft below its full pool of 900.00 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)).
What is full pool for Lake Oroville?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Lake Oroville is 900.00 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge), per CA DWR (State Water Project) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.