Washington · Cascade Water Alliance

Lake Tapps water level

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

538 540 542
Elevation, feet (NGVD29)

as of August 19, 2026

540.77 ft NGVD29

level Reading is unusually low for mid-August.

Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 12101000) and updates live when you load this page.


Lake Tapps through the year

The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 2002–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.

525 530 535 540 JFMAMJJASOND
Median and normal range by day of year, 2002–2026 · 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.

500 510 520 530 540 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 2026 (this year)
  • 2025 (last year)
  • 2016 (wettest on record)
  • 2015 (driest on record)

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 12101000 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System
Datum NGVD29
Last verified August 20, 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 Tapps right now?

Lake Tapps is at 540.77 ft (NGVD29) as of August 19, 2026 — Reading is unusually low for mid-August.

Is Lake Tapps full?

Cascade Water Alliance doesn't publish a conservation-pool figure for Lake Tapps, so this page shows the reading against the lake's own seasonal history instead.

What is full pool for Lake Tapps?

Cascade Water Alliance doesn't publish a single conservation-pool elevation for Lake Tapps. The seasonal chart shows the range the lake actually runs instead.