Overview
Beltzville Lake is a roughly 949-acre reservoir on Pohopoco Creek in Carbon County, in the southern foothills of Pennsylvania's Poconos near Lehighton. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District completed the dam about 1971–72 for flood risk management, water supply, and recreation, operating it with Francis E. Walter Dam to reduce flooding on the Lehigh River. Though compact by Corps standards, the project is a primary water and recreation resource for the western Poconos and the Allentown–Bethlehem corridor.
At a normal conservation pool of 628 feet (NGVD29), Beltzville has about 21 miles of shoreline, an average depth near 42 feet, and a maximum depth of more than 120 feet close to the dam. Forested hills, a sand beach, and limited shoreline development give the lake a compact state-park character, with a mix of open water, rocky points, and creek-arm habitat that contrasts with larger, more developed Pennsylvania reservoirs.
Beltzville State Park, managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, anchors swimming, boating, picnicking, camping, and trail use around the pool. Anglers pursue trout, bass, and panfish under regulations from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the park's launches and day-use areas make the lake a popular weekend destination from the Lehigh Valley and beyond.
Water levels are managed by the Corps around a normal full pool of 628 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29), with flood storage extending to a spillway crest of 651 feet. Elevations respond to Pohopoco Creek runoff and coordinated flood operations with Francis E. Walter Dam upstream in the Lehigh basin, so monitoring current lake levels is helpful for boating, fishing, beach access, and shoreline safety whenever the project is storing floodwater.
Current Conditions
Beltzville Lake is currently 0.33 feet above full pool and has risen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendRisingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeUp 0.27 ft
- 30-day changeUp 0.28 ft
- Drought conditionsNo Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Beltzville Lake is a 949-acre reservoir on the Pohopoco Creek managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.