604.32 ft NGVD29
level 1.7 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data (USACE series Mark Twain Lk-Salt.Elev.Inst.30Minutes.0.lrgsShef-rev) and updates live when you load this page.
Mark Twain 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.
- 1993 (wettest on record)
- 2000 (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 | 606.00 ft NGVD29 · per USACE St. Louis District (MVS), Clarence Cannon Dam full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USACE series Mark Twain Lk-Salt.Elev.Inst.30Minutes.0.lrgsShef-rev · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data |
| Datum | NGVD29 — unit=EN returns feet (verified). Top of conservation 606 ft from USACE water portal (Mark Twain Lake Project). |
| 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 Mark Twain Lake right now?
Mark Twain Lake is at 604.32 ft (NGVD29) as of August 15, 2026 — 1.7 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Mark Twain Lake full?
Not quite — at 604.32 ft, Mark Twain Lake is 1.7 ft below its full pool of 606.00 ft (NGVD29).
What is full pool for Mark Twain Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Mark Twain Lake is 606.00 ft NGVD29, per USACE St. Louis District (MVS), Clarence Cannon Dam full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.