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Idaho · Idaho Dept. of Water Resources (lake regulation, McCall)

Payette Lake water level

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

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

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Elevation, feet (Idaho Dept. of Water Resources)

as of September 23, 2026

4.62 ft Idaho Dept. of Water Resources

level Reading is on the high side for late September.

Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 13238500) and updates live when you load this page.

Payette 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.

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Median and normal range by day of year, 1980–2026 · elevation, feet (Idaho Dept. of Water Resources)

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.

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  • 2026 (this year)
  • 2025 (last year)
  • 1990 (wettest on record)
  • 1987 (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 not published by the operator
Gauge USGS gauge 13238500 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System
Datum Idaho Dept. of Water Resources — The gauge reads stage on its own datum and no agency publishes a full-pool figure to compare it against — around 4,990 ft is commonly cited but unverified, so this page shows none.
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 Payette Lake today?

Payette Lake is at 4.62 ft (Idaho Dept. of Water Resources) as of September 23, 2026 — Reading is on the high side for late September.

Is Payette Lake full?

Idaho Dept. of Water Resources (lake regulation, McCall) doesn't publish a conservation-pool figure for Payette Lake, so this page shows the reading against the lake's own seasonal history instead.

What is full pool for Payette Lake?

Idaho Dept. of Water Resources (lake regulation, McCall) doesn't publish a single conservation-pool elevation for Payette Lake. The seasonal chart shows the range the lake actually runs instead.