Washington · Bureau of Reclamation

Banks Lake water level

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

FULL POOL 1566 1568 1570
Elevation, feet (Reclamation Hydromet project datum)

as of July 21, 2026

1568.73 ft Reclamation Hydromet project datum

level 1.3 ft below full pool — typical for late July

Reading comes straight from Bureau of Reclamation RISE (Reclamation RISE item 129466) and updates live when you load this page.


Banks 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.

full pool 1564 1566 1568 1570 JFMAMJJASOND
Median and normal range by day of year, 1980–2026 · elevation, feet (Reclamation Hydromet project datum)

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.

full pool 1540 1550 1560 1570 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 2026 (wettest on record)
  • 2011 (driest on record)
  • 2025 (last 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 1570.00 ft Reclamation Hydromet project datum · per Bureau of Reclamation full-pool reference
Conservation capacity 1,275,000 acre-feet · per Bureau of Reclamation capacity reference
Gauge Reclamation RISE item 129466 · Bureau of Reclamation RISE
Datum Reclamation Hydromet project datum
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 Banks Lake right now?

Banks Lake is at 1568.73 ft (Reclamation Hydromet project datum) as of July 21, 2026 — 1.3 ft below full pool — typical for late July

Is Banks Lake full?

Not quite — at 1568.73 ft, Banks Lake is 1.3 ft below its full pool of 1570.00 ft (Reclamation Hydromet project datum).

What is full pool for Banks Lake?

Full pool (the conservation pool) for Banks Lake is 1570.00 ft Reclamation Hydromet project datum, per Bureau of Reclamation full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.