911.35 ft USACE project datum
level 0.6 ft below full pool — on the low side for late August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data (USACE series EMD.Elev-Pool.Inst.15Minutes.0.DCP-rev) and updates live when you load this page.
Edward MacDowell Lake through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1997–2026. 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)
- 2005 (wettest on record)
- 1997 (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 | 912.00 ft USACE project datum · per USACE New England District (Edward MacDowell Dam) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USACE series EMD.Elev-Pool.Inst.15Minutes.0.DCP-rev · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data |
| Datum | USACE project datum — The normal pool tops out at 912 ft over a 904 ft streambed, so the water is only a few feet deep at the dam outside a flood; both figures are on the project's own datum. |
| Last verified | August 26, 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
What is the lake level for Edward MacDowell Lake today?
Edward MacDowell Lake is at 911.35 ft (USACE project datum) as of August 26, 2026 — 0.6 ft below full pool — on the low side for late August.
Is Edward MacDowell Lake full?
Not quite — at 911.35 ft, Edward MacDowell Lake is 0.6 ft below its full pool of 912.00 ft (USACE project datum).
What is full pool for Edward MacDowell Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Edward MacDowell Lake is 912.00 ft USACE project datum, per USACE New England District (Edward MacDowell Dam) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.