1036.31 ft project datum
level 0.3 ft above full pool — on the high side for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data (USACE series MELN.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Best-NWK) and updates live when you load this page.
Melvern Lake through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1990–2026. 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.
- 2026 (this year)
- 2025 (last year)
- 2019 (wettest on record)
- 1991 (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 | 1036.00 ft project datum · per USACE Kansas City District full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 149,630 acre-feet · per USACE Kansas City District capacity reference |
| Gauge | USACE series MELN.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Best-NWK · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data |
| Datum | project datum — The district publishes the gauge and the top of conservation pool figure in the project's own datum, so the two compare like for like. |
| Last verified | August 20, 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 Melvern Lake right now?
Melvern Lake is at 1036.31 ft (project datum) as of August 20, 2026 — 0.3 ft above full pool — on the high side for mid-August
Is Melvern Lake full?
Yes and then some — at 1036.31 ft, Melvern Lake is 0.3 ft above its full pool of 1036.00 ft (project datum), using flood storage.
What is full pool for Melvern Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Melvern Lake is 1036.00 ft project datum, per USACE Kansas City District full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.