1421.16 ft NGVD29
level 0.4 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 07144790) and updates live when you load this page.
Cheney Reservoir through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1980–2012. 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.
- 1993 (wettest on record)
- 2012 (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 | 1421.60 ft NGVD29 · per USBR / City of Wichita (Cheney Division) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USGS gauge 07144790 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System |
| Datum | NGVD29 — USGS page states top of conservation pool 1,421.60 ft; gauge 62614 NGVD29. |
| 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 Cheney Reservoir right now?
Cheney Reservoir is at 1421.16 ft (NGVD29) as of August 15, 2026 — 0.4 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Cheney Reservoir full?
Not quite — at 1421.16 ft, Cheney Reservoir is 0.4 ft below its full pool of 1421.60 ft (NGVD29).
What is full pool for Cheney Reservoir?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Cheney Reservoir is 1421.60 ft NGVD29, per USBR / City of Wichita (Cheney Division) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.