Of the 7 South Dakota lakes here with a published full pool, 1 is at or above full pool and 6 sit below it. Another 3 have no full-pool figure and read against their own records instead. The newest reading on this page is from September 24, 2026.
| Lake | Level now | Full pool | Against full pool | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Oahe USACE Omaha District / Missouri River Basin Water Management | 1591.93 ft | 1617.00 ft | 25.1 ft below full pool — on the low side for late September | September 24, 2026 |
| Angostura Reservoir Bureau of Reclamation (Angostura Dam) | 3168.30 ft | not published | Reading is unusually low for late September. | September 24, 2026 |
| Lake Francis Case USACE Omaha District / Missouri River Basin Water Management | 1353.26 ft | 1365.00 ft | 11.7 ft below full pool — typical for late September | September 24, 2026 |
| Lewis and Clark Lake USACE Omaha District / Missouri River Basin Water Management | 1207.82 ft | 1208.00 ft | 0.2 ft below full pool — on the high side for late September | September 24, 2026 |
| Pactola Reservoir Bureau of Reclamation (Pactola Dam) | 4558.12 ft | 4580.20 ft | 22.1 ft below full pool — unusually low for late September | September 24, 2026 |
| Belle Fourche Reservoir Bureau of Reclamation (Belle Fourche Dam) | 2955.86 ft | not published | Reading is unusually low for late September. | September 24, 2026 |
| Cold Brook Reservoir USACE Omaha District | 3585.19 ft | 3585.00 ft | 0.2 ft above full pool — typical for late September | September 24, 2026 |
| Deerfield Reservoir Bureau of Reclamation (Deerfield Dam) | 5904.21 ft | not published | Reading is typical for late September. | September 24, 2026 |
| Lake Sharpe USACE Omaha District / Missouri River Basin Water Management | 1420.70 ft | 1422.00 ft | 1.3 ft below full pool — on the high side for late September | September 24, 2026 |
| Shadehill Reservoir Bureau of Reclamation (Shadehill Dam) | 2265.68 ft | 2272.00 ft | 6.3 ft below full pool — typical for late September | September 24, 2026 |
“Full pool” means the conservation pool — what that is, and what it is not. Lakes with no published figure are read against their own seasonal record instead.
South Dakota lake levels, asked and answered
What are the lake levels in South Dakota today?
Of the 7 South Dakota lakes here with a published full pool, 1 is at or above full pool and 6 sit below it. Another 3 have no full-pool figure and read against their own records instead. The newest reading on this page is from September 24, 2026.
Which South Dakota lake is furthest below full pool?
Lake Oahe is the furthest down of the South Dakota lakes on this page, at 25.1 ft below its full pool.
Where do these South Dakota lake levels come from?
Each row is the gauge the agency that runs the lake publishes — the Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, the state water agency or the US Geological Survey, depending on the lake. Open a lake and its own page re-reads that gauge as the page loads, wherever the agency lets a browser do it.