William H. Harsha Lake is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Published reference elevations are listed below.
Lake Status
5.2 feet above full pool
+5.20 ft vs full pool
- 7-day trend
- Rising
- 7-day change
- Up 3.26 ft
- 30-day change
- Up 5.07 ft
- Last updated
- Sep 21 • 6:00 AM
William H. Harsha Lake is currently 5.2 feet above full pool and has been rising over the past week. The lake is above full pool and has continued to rise over the past week.
Key Facts
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Official purposes
Full pool
Winter pool
Flood stage
Datum
Current-level source
Project / NID identifier
Dam / watershed (NID design values)
Static design values from a confidently matched National Inventory of Dams record — not live gage readings.
- Normal storage
- 13 acre-ft
- Max storage
- 29 acre-ft
- Surface area at normal pool
- 3 acres
- Drainage area
- 0.1 sq mi
- Spillway capacity (design)
- 771 cfs
- Dam structure
- Earth · 26 ft high · completed 1964
- Hazard classification
- Low
- Safety & inspection
- Poor · last inspection Nov 19, 2024
National Inventory of Dams · matched record: Williams Lake Dam (OH01339)
How this lake is operated
- Documented project purposes (National Inventory of Dams): Recreation.
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
- 733.00 ft
- Winter / seasonal pool
- 729.00 ft
- Flood stage
- 795.00 ft
Published reference elevation. Not necessarily a fixed year-round target for every project.
A winter / seasonal pool elevation is published, but Lake Insights does not have verified seasonal operating dates for this lake.
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: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
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 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 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.
Common questions about William H. Harsha Lake
- Who manages William H. Harsha Lake?
- William H. Harsha 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 William H. Harsha Lake?
- The published full-pool elevation for William H. Harsha Lake is 733.00 ft (NGVD29). Full pool is a published reference elevation — not a prediction of today’s level.
- Does William H. Harsha Lake have a published winter pool?
- William H. Harsha Lake has a published winter / seasonal pool elevation of 729.00 ft. Lake Insights does not currently have verified seasonal operating dates for this lake.
- Where does Lake Insights get the level reading for William H. Harsha Lake?
- Lake Insights displays the latest available elevation for William H. Harsha Lake from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 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 William H. Harsha Lake?
- Elevations for William H. Harsha Lake are referenced to NGVD29 (MSL).
- What are the documented purposes of William H. Harsha Lake?
- Documented purposes for William H. Harsha Lake (National Inventory of Dams): Recreation.