Vermont · USGS (natural lake, Richelieu River outlet)

Lake Champlain water level

Today's reading against full pool and Lake Champlain's own seasonal history.

92 94 96
Elevation, feet (NGVD29)

as of August 14, 2026

95.22 ft NGVD29

level Reading is typical for mid-August.

Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 04294500) and updates live when you load this page.


Lake Champlain 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.

94 96 98 100 JFMAMJJASOND
Median and normal range by day of year, 1980–2026 · elevation, feet (NGVD29)

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.

95 100 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 2011 (wettest on record)
  • 1980 (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 not published by the operator
Gauge USGS gauge 04294500 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System
Datum NGVD29 — 62614 NGVD29 at Burlington VT. Natural lake with no defined full pool; typical summer level ~95-96 ft, NWS flood stage 100 ft. Also gauges at Port Henry NY (04294413) and Rouses Point (04295000).
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 Champlain right now?

Lake Champlain is at 95.22 ft (NGVD29) as of August 14, 2026 — Reading is typical for mid-August.

Is Lake Champlain full?

USGS (natural lake, Richelieu River outlet) doesn't publish a conservation-pool figure for Lake Champlain, so this page shows the reading against the lake's own seasonal history instead.

What is full pool for Lake Champlain?

USGS (natural lake, Richelieu River outlet) doesn't publish a single conservation-pool elevation for Lake Champlain. The seasonal chart shows the range the lake actually runs instead.