Cheney Reservoir lake and shoreline

Cheney Reservoir Water Level

Officially Cheney Reservoir (Cheney Dam / Wichita Project)

Kansas

Cheney Reservoir is currently 1.7 feet below full pool, with a water-surface elevation of 1420.3 feet.

1420.32 ft · Updated 1 hour ago · U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Current level

1,420.32ft

−1.68 ft vs full pool

Normal

Vs full pool

Since last reading

No meaningful change

Previous readingSep 91,420.34 ft

7-day change

Down 0.16 ft

7-day trend: Falling

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 0.93 ft

31 daily readings in the last 30 days

Water Level History

Elevation (ft) NGVD29 · MSL

1421 ft1421 ft1422 ftFULL POOL 1422.00 ftAug 12Sep 11

Level status

1.68 ft below full pool

Current level
1,420.32 ft
Full pool
1,422 ft
DatumElevation referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
NGVD29
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Reference levels

  • Full pool1,422 ft
  • Flood stage1,429 ft

Watershed drought

Severe Drought

100% of watershed in official drought (D1+).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Worsening

Watershed drought conditions

Sedgwick County, KS

Severe Drought

Severe Drought. Severe drought conditions are present.. Trend: Worsening compared with last week. Official drought yes

Severity

NoneExtreme

Weekly trend

Worsening

Compared with last week

Official drought

Yes

100% of the watershed is currently classified as official drought (D1+).

Expected impacts

  • Lower stream inflows
  • Lake levels may decline faster
  • Vegetation is becoming drier
  • Minor increase in wildfire risk

U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Sep 8, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Sedgwick County, KS

Daily level summary

  • Sep 10, 2026

    1,420.34 ft

    0 ft

  • Sep 9, 2026

    1,420.34 ft

    -0.01 ft

  • Sep 8, 2026

    1,420.35 ft

    -0.04 ft

  • Sep 7, 2026

    1,420.39 ft

    -0.03 ft

  • Sep 6, 2026

    1,420.42 ft

    -0.03 ft

  • Sep 5, 2026

    1,420.45 ft

    -0.03 ft

  • Sep 4, 2026

    1,420.48 ft

    -0.02 ft

Common questions about Cheney Reservoir’s water level

  • The current water level at Cheney Reservoir is 1,420.32 ft (updated 1 hour ago). You can track the Cheney Reservoir lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Full pool for Cheney Reservoir is 1,422 ft — the normal conservation target elevation when the reservoir is at its designed summer or operating pool.

  • The current 7-day trend for the Cheney Reservoir lake level is falling — falling about 0.16 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Cheney Reservoir is currently 1.68 ft below full pool.

Lake level glossary

Definitions for pool targets, datums, and how elevation readings are labeled.

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