Kentucky · USACE Louisville District

Buckhorn Lake water level

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

FULL POOL 778 780 782
Elevation, feet (NGVD29)

as of August 20, 2026

782.60 ft NGVD29

level 0.6 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 Buckhorn.Elev.Inst.0.0.lrldlb-rev) and updates live when you load this page.


Buckhorn Lake through the year

The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 2003–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.

full pool 760 780 800 820 JFMAMJJASOND
Median and normal range by day of year, 2003–2026 · elevation, feet (NGVD29)

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 760 780 800 820 840 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 2026 (this year)
  • 2025 (last year)
  • 2019 (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 782.00 ft NGVD29 · per USACE Louisville District full-pool reference
Conservation capacity 32,055 acre-feet · per USACE Louisville District capacity reference
Gauge USACE series Buckhorn.Elev.Inst.0.0.lrldlb-rev · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data
Datum NGVD29 — 782 ft is the district's top of conservation pool figure, in the same NGVD29 datum as the gauge.
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 Buckhorn Lake right now?

Buckhorn Lake is at 782.60 ft (NGVD29) as of August 20, 2026 — 0.6 ft above full pool — on the high side for mid-August

Is Buckhorn Lake full?

Yes and then some — at 782.60 ft, Buckhorn Lake is 0.6 ft above its full pool of 782.00 ft (NGVD29), using flood storage.

What is full pool for Buckhorn Lake?

Full pool (the conservation pool) for Buckhorn Lake is 782.00 ft NGVD29, per USACE Louisville District full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.