Lake Monticello lake and shoreline

Lake Monticello Water Level

South Carolina

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Lake Monticello

Lake Monticello is currently 1.6 feet below full pool, with a water-surface elevation of 423.4 feet.

423.45 ft · Updated 4 hours ago · U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Current level

423.45ft

−1.55 ft vs full pool

Normal

Vs full pool

Since last reading

Down 0.78 ft

Previous readingNov 8424.15 ft

7-day change

Up 0.77 ft

7-day trend: Rising

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Up 1.14 ft

30 daily readings in the last 30 days

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Water Level History

Current
423.45 ft
24h
-0.78 ft
7d
+0.77 ft
30d
+1.14 ft

Elevation (ft) NGVD29 · MSL

Reference line is designed full pool.

Water Temperature

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Lake Level Context

Level remains below the full pool

Lake Monticello is currently 423.45 ft, 1.55 ft below its full pool. The lake has risen 0.77 ft over the past 7 days and 1.14 ft over the past 30 days.

Lake Monticello Level Details

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

Conditions & Reference

Level status

1.55 ft below full pool

Current level
423.45 ft
Full pool
425 ft
DatumElevation referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
NGVD29
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)

Reference levels

  • Full pool425 ft

Surrounding county drought

Abnormally Dry

19.2% of surrounding county in official drought (D1–D4).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Worsening

Surrounding county drought

Fairfield County, SC

Abnormally Dry

Abnormally Dry. The largest share of Fairfield County, SC is Abnormally Dry (D0). 19.2% 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: Worsening compared with last week. Official drought (D1–D4) yes

Severity

NoneExtreme

Weekly trend

Worsening

Compared with last week

Official drought (D1–D4)

Yes

19.2% of the surrounding county is in official drought categories (D1–D4). Dominant category remains Abnormally Dry.

U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Nov 3, 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 Fairfield County, SC

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Nov 9, 2026423.37-0.78
Nov 8, 2026424.15+1.31
Nov 7, 2026422.84-0.05
Nov 6, 2026422.89+0.21
Nov 5, 2026422.68-0.24
Nov 4, 2026422.92+0.39
Nov 3, 2026422.53-0.07

Common questions about Lake Monticello’s water level

  • The current water level at Lake Monticello is 423.45 ft (updated 4 hours ago). You can track the Lake Monticello lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Full pool for Lake Monticello is 425 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 Monticello lake level is rising — rising about 0.77 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Lake Monticello is currently 1.55 ft below full pool.

Lake level glossary

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

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