5381.16 ft Reclamation project datum
level 12.3 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Reading comes straight from Bureau of Reclamation RISE (Reclamation RISE item 146) and updates live when you load this page.
Buffalo Bill 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.
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.
- 1998 (wettest on record)
- 1988 (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 | 5393.50 ft Reclamation project datum · per Bureau of Reclamation full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Conservation capacity | 646,565 acre-feet · per Bureau of Reclamation capacity reference |
| Gauge | Reclamation RISE item 146 · Bureau of Reclamation RISE |
| Datum | Reclamation 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 Buffalo Bill Reservoir right now?
Buffalo Bill Reservoir is at 5381.16 ft (Reclamation project datum) as of August 14, 2026 — 12.3 ft below full pool — typical for mid-August
Is Buffalo Bill Reservoir full?
Not quite — at 5381.16 ft, Buffalo Bill Reservoir is 12.3 ft below its full pool of 5393.50 ft (Reclamation project datum).
What is full pool for Buffalo Bill Reservoir?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Buffalo Bill Reservoir is 5393.50 ft Reclamation project datum, per Bureau of Reclamation full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.