Water level
Falls Lake water level
Falls Lake is at 247.82 ft (3.7 ft below the 251.5 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 02087182.
Operating levels set by the Corps of Engineers
Reference elevations published by the SAW district for this project.
| Reference level | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Top of Conservation | 251.5 ft |
| Top of Dam | 291.5 ft |
| Top of Flood | 264.8 ft |
| Top of Inactive | 236.5 ft |
What this level means
Readings come from station 02087182 (FALLS LAKE ABOVE DAM NR FALLS, NC). Full pool is 251.5 ft. The top of the dam sits at 291.5 ft. The Corps of Engineers puts the top of the flood pool at 264.8 ft. The last value stored here, 247.82 ft, is from 2026-09-09. A low pool exposes stumps and mud in the shallow arms of the lake.
How this reading is taken
USGS gauge 02087182 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 Falls Lake is 251.5 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 Falls Lake?
The latest reading is 247.82 ft, 3.7 ft below the 251.5 ft full pool, from USGS gauge 02087182.
What is full pool at Falls Lake?
Full pool is 251.5 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.