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Iowa · USACE Kansas City District

Rathbun Lake water level

Today's reading against full pool and Rathbun Lake's own seasonal history.

Searched “Rathbun lake level” or “lake level for Rathbun Lake”? Same lake, same reading — you're in the right place. The current reading is right here too, whether you typed “current Rathbun Lake water level” or “current water level at Rathbun Lake”.

FULL POOL 900 905 910 915
Elevation, feet (operator datum (local))

as of September 24, 2026

905.91 ft operator datum (local)

level 1.9 ft above full pool — typical for late September

Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 06903880) and updates live when you load this page.

Is Rathbun Lake full?

Yes, and then some — 1.9 ft above full pool as of September 24, 2026

How full is Rathbun Lake? Not as a percentage: no storage figure comes through with this gauge reading, and a share of capacity worked out from the elevation alone would be a guess — how much water a reservoir holds at a given level is a curve only the operator's own capacity table knows. Feet from full pool is what the operator publishes, and it is the figure above.

Rathbun Lake through the year

The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 2000–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.

full pool 905 910 915 JFMAMJJASOND
Median and normal range by day of year, 2000–2026 · elevation, feet (operator datum (local))

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 900 910 920 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 2026 (this year)
  • 2025 (last year)
  • 2008 (wettest on record)
  • 2006 (driest on record)

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 904.00 ft operator datum (local) · per USACE Kansas City District full-pool reference
Conservation capacity 221,360 acre-feet · per USACE Kansas City District capacity reference
Gauge USGS gauge 06903880 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System
Datum operator datum (local) — Top of the conservation pool is 904.0 ft, and the gauge reads pool elevation directly.
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

What is the lake level for Rathbun Lake today?

Rathbun Lake is at 905.91 ft (operator datum (local)) as of September 24, 2026 — 1.9 ft above full pool — typical for late September.

Is Rathbun Lake full?

Yes and then some — at 905.91 ft on September 24, 2026, Rathbun Lake is 1.9 ft above its full pool of 904.00 ft (operator datum (local)), using flood storage.

How full is Rathbun Lake?

Not as a percentage: no storage figure comes through with this gauge reading, and a share of capacity worked out from the elevation alone would be a guess — how much water a reservoir holds at a given level is a curve only the operator's own capacity table knows. Feet from full pool is what the operator publishes, and it is the figure above.

What is full pool for Rathbun Lake?

Full pool (the conservation pool) for Rathbun Lake is 904.00 ft operator datum (local), per USACE Kansas City District full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.