North Dakota · Natural closed-basin lake (ND State Water Commission outlet pumps)

Devils Lake water level

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

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Elevation, feet (Natural closed-basin lake)

as of August 15, 2026

50.15 ft Natural closed-basin lake

level Reading is unusually high for mid-August.

Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 05056500) and updates live when you load this page.


Devils Lake through the year

The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1980–2004. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.

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Median and normal range by day of year, 1980–2004 · elevation, feet (Natural closed-basin lake)

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.

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  • 2004 (wettest on record)
  • 1992 (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 not published by the operator
Gauge USGS gauge 05056500 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System
Datum Natural closed-basin lake — Gage height on gauge datum 1401.33 ft NAVD88 (concurrent 62615 = 1451.43 ft NAVD88 and 62614 = 1450.10 ft NGVD29 confirm the offset). Closed-basin natural lake - no conservation pool; the 113-year elevation swing is the story.
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 Devils Lake right now?

Devils Lake is at 50.15 ft (Natural closed-basin lake) as of August 15, 2026 — Reading is unusually high for mid-August.

Is Devils Lake full?

Natural closed-basin lake (ND State Water Commission outlet pumps) doesn't publish a conservation-pool figure for Devils Lake, so this page shows the reading against the lake's own seasonal history instead.

What is full pool for Devils Lake?

Natural closed-basin lake (ND State Water Commission outlet pumps) doesn't publish a single conservation-pool elevation for Devils Lake. The seasonal chart shows the range the lake actually runs instead.