382.44 ft NGVD29
level Reading is on the high side for late September.
Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 04233500) and updates live when you load this page.
Cayuga Lake through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1980–2026. 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)
- 2011 (wettest on record)
- 1995 (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 04233500 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System |
| Datum | NGVD29 — The local Barge Canal datum runs 1.3 ft above the figures shown here, so numbers quoted around the lake sit about a foot higher; the Canal Corporation manages Cayuga to a rule curve rather than a single full pool. |
| 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
What is the lake level for Cayuga Lake today?
Cayuga Lake is at 382.44 ft (NGVD29) as of September 24, 2026 — Reading is on the high side for late September.
Is Cayuga Lake full?
NYS Canal Corporation (Mud Lock dam); USGS gauge at Ithaca doesn't publish a conservation-pool figure for Cayuga Lake, so this page shows the reading against the lake's own seasonal history instead.
What is full pool for Cayuga Lake?
NYS Canal Corporation (Mud Lock dam); USGS gauge at Ithaca doesn't publish a single conservation-pool elevation for Cayuga Lake. The seasonal chart shows the range the lake actually runs instead.