Lake Washington lake and shoreline

Lake Washington Water Level

Washington

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Lake Washington

Lake Washington is currently 1.7 feet below full pool, with a water-surface elevation of 20.3 feet.

20.34 ft · Updated 3 hours ago · USACE Seattle District (Hiram M. Chittenden / Ballard Locks)

Current level

20.34ft

−1.66 ft vs full pool

Normal

Vs full pool

Since last reading

No meaningful change

Previous readingOct 620.32 ft

7-day change

Up 0.04 ft

7-day trend: Rising

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Up 0.09 ft

30 daily readings in the last 30 days

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Water Level History

Current
20.34 ft
24h
0.00 ft
7d
+0.04 ft
30d
+0.09 ft

Elevation (ft) NGVD29 · MSL

Reference line is designed full pool.

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Lake Level Context

Level remains below the full pool

Lake Washington is currently 20.34 ft, 1.66 ft below its full pool. The lake has risen 0.04 ft over the past 7 days and 0.09 ft over the past 30 days.

Lake Washington Level Details

Reference elevations, recent daily readings, data sources, and answers to common questions.

Conditions & Reference

Level status

1.66 ft below full pool

Current level
20.34 ft
Full pool
22 ft
DatumElevation referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
NGVD29
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
USACE Seattle District (Hiram M. Chittenden / Ballard Locks)

Reference levels

  • Full pool22 ft

Surrounding county drought

Abnormally Dry

14.8% of surrounding county in official drought (D1–D4).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Stable

Surrounding county drought

King County, WA

Abnormally Dry

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.. Trend: Stable compared with last week. Official drought (D1–D4) yes

Severity

NoneExtreme

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

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Oct 7, 202620.320
Oct 6, 202620.32+0.02
Oct 5, 202620.3-0.02
Oct 4, 202620.32+0.02
Oct 3, 202620.30
Oct 2, 202620.3+0.01
Oct 1, 202620.29+0.01

Common questions about Lake Washington’s water level

  • The current water level at Lake Washington is 20.34 ft (updated 3 hours ago). You can track the Lake Washington lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Full pool for Lake Washington is 22 ft — the normal conservation target elevation when the reservoir is at its designed summer or operating pool.

  • The current 7-day trend for the Lake Washington lake level is rising — rising about 0.04 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Lake Washington is currently 1.66 ft below full pool.

Lake level glossary

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

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