Washington · Bureau of Reclamation

Potholes Reservoir water level

Today's reading against full pool and Potholes Reservoir's own seasonal history.

FULL POOL 1030 1035 1040 1045
Elevation, feet (Reclamation Hydromet project datum)

as of August 14, 2026

1031.74 ft Reclamation Hydromet project datum

level 14.8 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August

Reading comes straight from Bureau of Reclamation RISE (Reclamation RISE item 132564) and updates live when you load this page.


Potholes Reservoir 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 1025 1030 1035 1040 1045 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 1025 1030 1035 1040 1045 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 2026 (wettest on record)
  • 1998 (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 1046.50 ft Reclamation Hydromet project datum · per Bureau of Reclamation full-pool reference
Conservation capacity 332,200 acre-feet · per Bureau of Reclamation capacity reference
Gauge Reclamation RISE item 132564 · 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 Potholes Reservoir right now?

Potholes Reservoir is at 1031.74 ft (Reclamation Hydromet project datum) as of August 14, 2026 — 14.8 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August

Is Potholes Reservoir full?

Not quite — at 1031.74 ft, Potholes Reservoir is 14.8 ft below its full pool of 1046.50 ft (Reclamation Hydromet project datum).

What is full pool for Potholes Reservoir?

Full pool (the conservation pool) for Potholes Reservoir is 1046.50 ft Reclamation Hydromet project datum, per Bureau of Reclamation full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.