Colorado · USBR Dolores Project

McPhee Reservoir water level

Today's reading against full pool and McPhee Reservoir's own seasonal history.

FULL POOL 6860 6880 6900 6920
Elevation, feet (USBR project datum)

as of August 14, 2026

6860.76 ft USBR project datum

level 63.2 ft below full pool — unusually low for mid-August

Reading comes straight from Bureau of Reclamation RISE (Reclamation RISE item 572) and updates live when you load this page.


McPhee Reservoir through the year

The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1984–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.

full pool 6860 6880 6900 6920 JFMAMJJASOND
Median and normal range by day of year, 1984–2026 · elevation, feet (USBR project datum)

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.

full pool 6700 6800 6900 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 1988 (wettest on record)
  • 1984 (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 6924.00 ft USBR project datum · per USBR Dolores Project full-pool reference
Conservation capacity 381,195 acre-feet · per USBR Dolores Project capacity reference
Gauge Reclamation RISE item 572 · Bureau of Reclamation RISE
Datum USBR project datum — Top of active conservation 6,924.0 ft; capacity 381,195 ac-ft total (229,200 active + inactive/dead).
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 McPhee Reservoir right now?

McPhee Reservoir is at 6860.76 ft (USBR project datum) as of August 14, 2026 — 63.2 ft below full pool — unusually low for mid-August

Is McPhee Reservoir full?

Not quite — at 6860.76 ft, McPhee Reservoir is 63.2 ft below its full pool of 6924.00 ft (USBR project datum).

What is full pool for McPhee Reservoir?

Full pool (the conservation pool) for McPhee Reservoir is 6924.00 ft USBR project datum, per USBR Dolores Project full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.