156.04 ft NGVD29
level 8.4 ft below full pool — unusually low for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 08039300) and updates live when you load this page.
Sam Rayburn Reservoir through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 2000–2026. 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.
- 2019 (wettest on record)
- 2011 (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 | 164.40 ft NGVD29 · per USACE Fort Worth District full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 2,857,077 acre-feet · per USACE Fort Worth District capacity reference |
| Gauge | USGS gauge 08039300 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System |
| Datum | NGVD29 — USGS param 62614 ft 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 Sam Rayburn Reservoir right now?
Sam Rayburn Reservoir is at 156.04 ft (NGVD29) as of August 14, 2026 — 8.4 ft below full pool — unusually low for mid-August
Is Sam Rayburn Reservoir full?
Not quite — at 156.04 ft, Sam Rayburn Reservoir is 8.4 ft below its full pool of 164.40 ft (NGVD29).
What is full pool for Sam Rayburn Reservoir?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Sam Rayburn Reservoir is 164.40 ft NGVD29, per USACE Fort Worth District full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.