928.70 ft local lake datum (MCWD DNR)
level 0.7 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 05289000) and updates live when you load this page.
Lake Minnetonka through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 2016–2026. 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.
- 2019 (wettest on record)
- 2022 (driest on record)
- 2025 (last year)
- 2026 (this year)
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 | 929.40 ft local lake datum (MCWD DNR) · per Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (Grays Bay Dam); USGS gauge full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USGS gauge 05289000 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System |
| Datum | local lake datum (MCWD DNR) — USGS 00065 at this site reads lake elevation directly on the local lake datum (~929 ft scale used by MCWD/LMCD). 929.4 = Ordinary High Water, the reference MCWD manages Grays Bay Dam around. |
| 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 Lake Minnetonka right now?
Lake Minnetonka is at 928.70 ft (local lake datum (MCWD DNR)) as of August 14, 2026 — 0.7 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Lake Minnetonka full?
Not quite — at 928.70 ft, Lake Minnetonka is 0.7 ft below its full pool of 929.40 ft (local lake datum (MCWD DNR)).
What is full pool for Lake Minnetonka?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Lake Minnetonka is 929.40 ft local lake datum (MCWD DNR), per Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (Grays Bay Dam); USGS gauge full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.