Lake Washington is managed by USACE Seattle District (Hiram M. Chittenden / Ballard Locks). Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from USACE Seattle District (Hiram M. Chittenden / Ballard Locks). Published reference elevations are listed below.
1.67 feet below full pool
−1.67 ft vs full pool
Lake Washington is currently 1.67 feet below full pool and has risen slightly over the past week. Recent conditions indicate improving reservoir levels, although the lake remains below its normal operating elevation.
King County, WA · U.S. Drought Monitor county statistics at the lake location (not a lake-specific designation)
Abnormally Dry
The largest share of King County, WA is Abnormally Dry (D0). 14.8% of the county is still in Moderate Drought or worse (D1–D4), which the U.S. Drought Monitor treats as official drought. These figures describe the surrounding county from the lake location, not the lake itself.
Severity
Weekly trend
Stable
Compared with last week
Official drought (D1–D4)
Yes
14.8% of the surrounding county is in official drought categories (D1–D4). Dominant category remains Abnormally Dry.
U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Oct 6, 2026. Updated weekly. Official drought means U.S. Drought Monitor categories D1–D4 (Moderate through Exceptional). Abnormally Dry (D0) is not counted as official drought. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for King County, WA
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Full pool
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.
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.
Managing authority: USACE Seattle District (Hiram M. Chittenden / Ballard Locks)
Observation source used by Lake Insights: USACE Seattle District (Hiram M. Chittenden / Ballard Locks)
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.
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 USACE Seattle District (Hiram M. Chittenden / Ballard Locks), 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.
20.33 ft
RisingLight Rain · 28.8 mph SW
Winter pool
Datum
Current-level source
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.
Fair
Best window: 5:45 AM–6:45 AM
Level 6 hours ago · Weather 55 minutes ago · SEATTLE WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE