Overview
Lake Pleasant is an approximately 10,000-acre multipurpose reservoir on the Agua Fria River about 35 miles northwest of Phoenix. New Waddell Dam, completed in the early 1990s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation for the Central Arizona Project, enlarged the earlier Waddell Dam pool so CAP can store Colorado River water, generate power, and provide flood control and recreation.
At maximum conservation storage near 1,702 feet, the lake covers about 9,970 acres with roughly 114 miles of shoreline and depths approaching 175 feet near the dam. Desert hills, long arms, and a mix of CAP storage and Agua Fria runoff create a large, fluctuating Sonoran Desert reservoir inside Lake Pleasant Regional Park.
The lake is one of the Phoenix metro area's busiest recreation waters for boating, camping, and fishing for bass, striped bass, and other species managed by the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Maricopa County Parks operates ramps, marinas, campgrounds, and day-use areas around the shoreline.
Water levels are managed for CAP storage and power: Colorado River water is typically pumped into the lake in winter and released through the pump-generating plant in summer. Conservation pool tops out near 1,702 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29), with maximum water surface near 1,725 feet. Monitoring current lake levels is essential for ramp use, fishing, and shoreline camping as the pool moves with CAP operations and runoff.
Current Conditions
Lake Pleasant is currently 40.88 feet below full pool and has been falling over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 1.80 ft
- 30-day changeDown 7.35 ft
- Drought conditionsModerate Drought
- Active advisories2 active (Advisory)
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Lake Pleasant is a 9,970-acre reservoir on the Agua Fria River managed by Central Arizona Project / U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (New Waddell Dam); Maricopa County Parks (recreation).