Water level
Lake Waco water level
Lake Waco is at 459.52 ft (2.7 ft below the 462.2 ft full pool), about 89% full 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 08095550.
Operating levels set by the Corps of Engineers
Reference elevations published by the SWF district for this project.
| Reference level | Elevation |
|---|---|
| Top of Dam | 510.0 ft |
| Top of Inactive | 427.0 ft |
| Bottom of Inactive | 400.0 ft |
| Bottom of Inactive | 387.0 ft |
| Design Capacity | 505.0 ft |
| Maximum Tailwater | 431.6 ft |
| Spillway Crest | 465.0 ft |
| Streambed | 370.0 ft |
| Top of Conservation | 462.0 ft |
| Top of Flood | 500.0 ft |
| Top of Inactive | 427.0 ft |
| Top of Inactive | 400.0 ft |
What this level means
Station 08095550, Waco Lk nr Waco, TX, publishes the water surface elevation used here. The conservation pool tops out at 462.2 ft. The top of the dam sits at 510.0 ft. The Corps of Engineers puts the top of the flood pool at 500.0 ft. Conservation capacity is 188,891 acre-feet. That put the reservoir at 89% of its conservation capacity. The last value stored here, 459.52 ft, is from 2026-09-09. Water level decides what is usable on the shoreline, from beach width to ramp access.
How this reading is taken
USGS gauge 08095550 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 Lake Waco is 462.2 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 Lake Waco?
The latest reading is 459.52 ft, 2.7 ft below the 462.2 ft full pool, from USGS gauge 08095550.
How full is Lake Waco?
It was last reported at 89% of conservation capacity, holding 168,579 of 188,891 acre-feet.
What is full pool at Lake Waco?
Full pool is 462.2 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.