# Lake Powell Water Level (Lake Powell Navigator) > Live Lake Powell water level, boat ramp status, weather, forecast context, and a 365-day > history archive. Elevation data comes from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR), which > publishes one finalized end-of-day reading per day; boat ramp status derives from National > Park Service (NPS) minimum safe elevations for Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Current reading (as of 2026-08-14): 3,520.01 ft, 21.6% of capacity. Key reference elevations: Full Pool 3,700 ft (24.322 million acre-feet) · Minimum power pool 3,490 ft (hydropower cutoff) · Dead pool 3,370 ft (water can no longer pass Glen Canyon Dam by gravity). ## Pages - [Live tracker (home)](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/): current level, gauge, ramp summary, FAQ - [Today's reading](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/today): today's elevation, storage, and ramp readiness - [Boat ramps](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/boat-ramps): ramp-by-ramp open/closed status with NPS thresholds - [Water level chart](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/water-level-chart): 365-day history chart plus record high/low - [Forecast](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/forecast): trend, seasonal pattern, USBR 24-month study explainer - [Dead pool](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/dead-pool): live distance to dead pool and minimum power pool - [Powell vs. Mead](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/lake-powell-vs-lake-mead): side-by-side reservoir comparison - [Water temperature](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/water-temperature): monthly surface temps and swim guide - [Blog](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog): analysis and news on water levels, drought, forecasts, and Powell vs. Mead - [iPhone app](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/app): the Lake Powell Water Level iOS app — live level, all 13 boat ramps, trends, flow & level-change alerts - Daily archive: https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/day/YYYY-MM-DD for each of the last ~365 days (e.g. https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/day/2026-08-14) ## Blog - [The 1983 Glen Canyon Dam Disaster: What Really Happened](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/glen-canyon-dam-1983-disaster): A record 1983 snowmelt pushed Lake Powell to its all-time high and tore Glen Canyon Dam's spillways apart. The timeline, the numbers, and how close it came. - [Lake Powell Minimum Power Pool: What Happens When Glen Canyon Dam Stops Making Power](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/lake-powell-minimum-power-pool): Minimum power pool is 3,490 ft, where Glen Canyon Dam's turbines shut off. What the shutoff costs, who loses power, and how much cushion Lake Powell has left. - [Utah's 10 Largest Reservoirs, Ranked by Capacity](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/largest-reservoirs-in-utah): Lake Powell holds three times more water than Utah's next nine reservoirs combined. All 10 ranked by storage capacity, with live Lake Powell level data. - [The 10 Largest Man-Made Lakes in the U.S., Ranked](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/largest-man-made-lakes-in-the-us): Lake Mead and Lake Powell are America's two largest man-made lakes by capacity — and its two emptiest. All 10 ranked by full-pool storage, with live data. - [21 Lake Powell Facts: The Numbers Behind the Reservoir](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/lake-powell-facts): 21 facts about Lake Powell — its 186-mile length, the 17-year fill, the 1983 spillway scare, the 2,000 archaeological sites beneath it, and its records. - [7 Lake Powell Water-Level Records: Highest, Lowest, Fastest](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/lake-powell-water-level-records): Lake Powell's seven defining water-level records — the 3,708.34-ft high of 1983, the 3,519.92-ft low of 2023, the 65-foot rebound, and the 17-year fill. - [What's Under Lake Powell? 9 Places Drowned by the Reservoir](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/what-is-under-lake-powell): Under Lake Powell: Cathedral in the Desert, a 1776 river crossing, the ghost town of Hite, a gold dredge, and some 2,000 archaeological sites — mapped by depth. - [Which Lake Powell Boat Ramps Are Open? Ramp-by-Ramp Water Levels](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/lake-powell-boat-ramps-water-level): Most Lake Powell boat ramps are closed to motorized launching at today's low level. Here's the NPS minimum water level each ramp needs, plus which are open. - [How Much Does Snowpack Raise Lake Powell?](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/how-much-does-snowpack-raise-lake-powell): A foot of Lake Powell takes about 57,600 acre-feet of water. Here's how mountain snowpack converts into reservoir elevation, and why 2026 broke the math. - [When Was Lake Powell Last Full? The Full-Pool Record, Explained](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/when-was-lake-powell-last-full): Lake Powell first hit full pool in 1980 and was last essentially full — 99% — in June 1987. The full-pool record, the 1983 high, and whether it refills. - [Colorado River Reservoirs: The Whole System, Explained](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/colorado-river-reservoirs): The Colorado River's water sits in a chain of reservoirs, from Powell and Mead to Flaming Gorge. Here's how big each one is and how full the system is now. - [How Much Water Is in Lake Powell? Capacity, Storage, and How Full It Is Now](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/how-much-water-is-in-lake-powell): Lake Powell holds about 25 million acre-feet at full pool — roughly 8 trillion gallons. Here's its capacity, what an acre-foot means, and how full it is now. - [Glen Canyon Dam vs. Hoover Dam: How the Two Colorado River Giants Compare](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/glen-canyon-dam-vs-hoover-dam): Hoover Dam is taller at 726 ft and holds back Lake Mead; Glen Canyon Dam has a longer crest and stores Lake Powell for the Upper Basin. Here's how they compare. - [When Will Lake Powell Reach Dead Pool? What the Forecasts Show](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/when-will-lake-powell-reach-dead-pool): Lake Powell isn't projected to hit dead pool (3,370 ft) anytime soon. The line that matters first is minimum power pool at 3,490 ft, and the forecasts show why. - [How Deep Is Lake Powell? Maximum Depth and How Deep It Is Now](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/how-deep-is-lake-powell): Lake Powell is about 560 feet deep at Glen Canyon Dam at full pool, and much shallower now. Here's the max depth, the deepest point, and how depth is measured. - [Where Does Lake Powell Get Its Water?](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/where-does-lake-powell-get-its-water): Lake Powell gets almost all its water from Rocky Mountain snowmelt, funneled down the Colorado and San Juan rivers through a 112,000-square-mile watershed. - [How Low Is Lake Powell? Today's Level vs. the Record Low](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/how-low-is-lake-powell): Lake Powell's lowest level since it filled is 3,519.92 ft (April 13, 2023). See how today compares, why 2026 could break it, and how low the lake can go. - [Lake Powell vs. Lake Mead: Which Is in Worse Shape?](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/lake-powell-vs-lake-mead-which-is-worse): Both Colorado River reservoirs are shrinking. Which is worse off? Powell is closer to losing hydropower; Mead is closer to dead pool, yet holds more water. - [Lake Powell Water Level History: A Timeline From 1963 to Today](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/lake-powell-water-level-history): Lake Powell's water level history — from the 3,708.34-ft high in 1983 to the record low of 3,519.92 ft in 2023 and today. The full timeline, year by year. - [Is Lake Powell Drying Up? What the Numbers Actually Show](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/is-lake-powell-drying-up): Lake Powell hit its lowest summer level on record in 2026, but it won't literally dry up. How far it has actually fallen, and what 'drying up' really describes. - [What Is Lake Powell's Dead Pool? (And How Close It Really Is)](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/what-is-lake-powell-dead-pool): Water can no longer pass through Glen Canyon Dam at elevation 3,370 ft, the threshold called dead pool. How close Lake Powell is, and what breaks if it arrives. - [Why Is Lake Powell So Low? The Drought, the Numbers, and What's Next](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/why-is-lake-powell-so-low): Lake Powell is low because of a 20-year megadrought and chronic overuse of the Colorado River. Here's how far it has fallen, why, and what would turn it around. - [Will Lake Powell Fill Back Up? What Snowpack and Runoff Forecasts Show](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/blog/will-lake-powell-fill-back-up): Big snow years lift Lake Powell fast, but a hotter, drier Colorado River basin keeps taking it back. Why full pool at 3,700 ft is unlikely under current trends. ## Machine-readable data - [Current conditions snapshot (markdown)](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/now.md) — regenerated on every daily build - [Live JSON API](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/api/water) — open, CORS-enabled; current reading, changes, 365-day history, extremes - [Sitemap](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/sitemap.xml) ## Optional - [Terms](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/terms) · [Privacy](https://www.lakepowellwaterlevel.com/privacy) - Site operated by Lake Powell Navigator (https://www.lakepowellnavigator.com/). Informational only — verify conditions with official USBR/NPS sources before travel.