2329.26 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge)
level 40.7 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading from California DWR — California Data Exchange Center (CDEC station CLE); it refreshes with each site update rather than live.
Trinity Lake through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1980–2026. 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.
- 1983 (wettest on record)
- 2022 (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 | 2370.00 ft project datum (matches CDEC gauge) · per USBR (Central Valley Project) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 2,447,650 acre-feet · per USBR (Central Valley Project) capacity reference |
| Gauge | CDEC station CLE · California DWR — California Data Exchange Center |
| Datum | project datum (matches CDEC gauge) — Full pool source quotes USBR dam specs: 'normal water surface elevation of 2370 ft' |
| 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 Trinity Lake right now?
Trinity Lake is at 2329.26 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)) as of August 14, 2026 — 40.7 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Trinity Lake full?
Not quite — at 2329.26 ft, Trinity Lake is 40.7 ft below its full pool of 2370.00 ft (project datum (matches CDEC gauge)).
What is full pool for Trinity Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Trinity Lake is 2370.00 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.