Water level
Rough River Lake water level
Rough River Lake is at 490.28 ft (4.7 ft below the 495.0 ft full pool) as of Sep 9, 2026. Live readings, trend, history and what the level means for swimming and boat ramps.
Recent readings
Daily values from USGS gauge 03318005.
Operating levels set by the Corps of Engineers
Reference elevations published by the LRL district for this project.
| Reference level | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Bottom of Inlet | 430.0 ft |
| Bottom of Normal | 470.0 ft |
| Guide Curve | 470.0 ft |
| Streambed | 430.0 ft |
| Top of Conservation | 495.0 ft |
| Top of Dam | 554.0 ft |
| Top of Flood | 524.0 ft |
| Top of Normal | 470.0 ft |
| Top of Overflow | 524.0 ft |
What this level means
Readings come from station 03318005 (ROUGH RIVER LAKE NEAR FALLS OF ROUGH, KY). The Corps of Engineers puts the top of the flood pool at 524.0 ft. The agency sets full pool at 495.0 ft. The last value stored here, 490.28 ft, is from 2026-09-09. The top of the dam sits at 554.0 ft. When the pool drops, shoreline beaches grow and shallow ramps can run out of concrete.
How this reading is taken
USGS gauge 03318005 measures the water surface and publishes the value continuously. This page stores the latest reading at build time and refreshes the record daily, so the figure above is a real measurement rather than a model or an estimate.
Full pool for Rough River Lake is 495.0 ft, so the gap between the reading and that number is what the reservoir is missing.
Elevations are given in feet above the gauge datum used by the operating agency. Two lakes are only comparable with each other through how full they are, not through their raw elevation, because each dam sits at a different height.
Water level questions
What is the current water level at Rough River Lake?
The latest reading is 490.28 ft, 4.7 ft below the 495.0 ft full pool, from USGS gauge 03318005.
What is full pool at Rough River Lake?
Full pool is 495.0 ft. Water above that level is flood storage and is released as conditions allow.
Sources
Every figure on this page comes from one of these public sources.