Washington · Tacoma Power

Riffe Lake water level

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

FULL POOL 740 760 780
Elevation, feet (NGVD29)

as of July 15, 2026

738.69 ft NGVD29

level 39.3 ft below full pool — unusually low for mid-July

Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 14234800) and updates live when you load this page.


Riffe 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 700 720 740 760 780 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.

full pool 650 700 750 JFMAMJJASOND
  • 1982 (wettest on record)
  • 2001 (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 778.00 ft NGVD29 · per Tacoma Power full-pool reference
Gauge USGS gauge 14234800 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System
Datum 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 Riffe Lake right now?

Riffe Lake is at 738.69 ft (NGVD29) as of July 15, 2026 — 39.3 ft below full pool — unusually low for mid-July

Is Riffe Lake full?

Not quite — at 738.69 ft, Riffe Lake is 39.3 ft below its full pool of 778.00 ft (NGVD29).

What is full pool for Riffe Lake?

Full pool (the conservation pool) for Riffe Lake is 778.00 ft NGVD29, per Tacoma Power full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.