1944.78 ft NGVD29
level 0.2 ft below full pool — unusually high for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 14092050) and updates live when you load this page.
Lake Billy Chinook through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 2005–2026. 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.
- 2022 (wettest on record)
- 2007 (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 | 1945.00 ft NGVD29 · per Portland General Electric / Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USGS gauge 14092050 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System |
| Datum | NGVD29 |
| 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 Billy Chinook right now?
Lake Billy Chinook is at 1944.78 ft (NGVD29) as of August 14, 2026 — 0.2 ft below full pool — unusually high for mid-August
Is Lake Billy Chinook full?
Not quite — at 1944.78 ft, Lake Billy Chinook is 0.2 ft below its full pool of 1945.00 ft (NGVD29).
What is full pool for Lake Billy Chinook?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Lake Billy Chinook is 1945.00 ft NGVD29, per Portland General Electric / Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.