Grapevine Lake

Officially Grapevine Lake (Denton Creek)

Texas

Grapevine Lake is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from Texas Water Development Board. Published reference elevations are listed below.

Lake Status

1.81 feet below full pool

−1.81 ft vs full pool

7-day trend
Falling
7-day change
Down 0.19 ft
30-day change
Down 1.17 ft
Last updated
11 hours ago

Grapevine Lake is currently 1.81 feet below full pool and has fallen slightly over the past week. Readings show continued drawdown relative to full pool, with levels trending lower over the past week.

Watershed drought conditions

Tarrant County, TX · surrounding county from lake location

Severe Drought

Severe drought conditions are present.

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 Tarrant County, TX

Key Facts

Waterbody / project type

Reservoir

Official purposes

Flood Risk Reduction · Fish and Wildlife Pond · Recreation · Water SupplySource: National Inventory of Dams

Full pool

535.00 ft

Flood stage

560.00 ft

Datum

NGVD29 · MSL

Current-level source

Texas Water Development Board

Project / NID identifier

Grapevine Dam · TX00005

Dam / watershed (NID design values)

Static design values from a confidently matched National Inventory of Dams record — not live gage readings.

Normal storage
181,000 acre-ft
Max storage
788,000 acre-ft
Surface area at normal pool
7,380 acres
Drainage area
688 sq mi
Spillway capacity (design)
191,310 cfs
Dam structure
Earth · 137 ft high · completed 1952
Hazard classification
High
Safety & inspection
last inspection Jun 13, 2024 · EAP yes

National Inventory of Dams · matched record: Grapevine Dam (TX00005)

How this lake is operated

  • Documented project purposes (National Inventory of Dams): Flood Risk Reduction, Fish and Wildlife Pond, Recreation, Water Supply.

Why the level can change

General factors for reservoirs like this

These are common influences for this type of lake. They do not identify the cause of a specific current change unless an operator update confirms it.

  • Rainfall & inflows

    Rain and upstream river inflows can raise reservoir levels, especially after storms.

  • Downstream releases

    When an operator releases water through a dam, reservoir storage can fall and downstream flows can rise.

  • Flood-risk operations

    Some projects store or release water under flood-risk rules when conditions require it.

  • Water supply

    Some reservoirs support municipal, industrial, irrigation, or regional water-supply needs.

  • Hydropower

    Hydropower projects may pass water through turbines when generating electricity.

  • Seasonal weather

    Dry periods, heat, evaporation, and seasonal rainfall patterns can affect storage over weeks and months.

Published reference elevations

Full pool
535.00 ft

Published reference elevation. Not necessarily a fixed year-round target for every project.

Flood stage
560.00 ft

Flood stage is not interchangeable with flood pool.

Current data source

Managing authority: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Observation source used by Lake Insights: Texas Water Development Board

Who manages the lake and who publishes the reading Lake Insights displays can differ. Lake Insights does not invent a source label from the managing authority alone.

General education

Shared background — not lake-specific facts

Lake Insights aggregates water level information from authoritative public sources such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, TVA, Bureau of Reclamation, power utilities, and other official lake operators. We preserve historical observations, calculate trends, and present lake conditions in a consistent format. For Texas Water Development Board, we link to the official source whenever it is available. Lake Insights does not predict future lake levels unless an official forecast has been published by the managing authority.

How we source lake data · Glossary

Common questions about Grapevine Lake

Who manages Grapevine Lake?
Grapevine Lake is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Insights reports published gauge readings; it does not operate the waterbody.
What is full pool at Grapevine Lake?
The published full-pool elevation for Grapevine Lake is 535.00 ft (NGVD29). Full pool is a published reference elevation — not a prediction of today’s level.
Where does Lake Insights get the level reading for Grapevine Lake?
Lake Insights displays the latest available elevation for Grapevine Lake from Texas Water Development Board. The managing authority (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) may differ from the agency that publishes the observation used on this page.
What datum is used for Grapevine Lake?
Elevations for Grapevine Lake are referenced to NGVD29 (MSL).
What are the documented purposes of Grapevine Lake?
Documented purposes for Grapevine Lake (National Inventory of Dams): Flood Risk Reduction, Fish and Wildlife Pond, Recreation, Water Supply.

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