Paint Creek 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
6.22 feet above full pool
+6.22 ft vs full pool
- 7-day trend
- Rising
- 7-day change
- Up 5.70 ft
- 30-day change
- Up 1.49 ft
- Last updated
- Sep 21 • 11:00 PM
Paint Creek Lake is currently 6.22 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
- 20,310 acre-ft
- Max storage
- 145,000 acre-ft
- Surface area at normal pool
- 1,190 acres
- Drainage area
- 576 sq mi
- Spillway capacity (design)
- 204,000 cfs
- Dam structure
- Rockfill · 118 ft high · completed 1973
- Hazard classification
- High
- Safety & inspection
- last inspection Jul 31, 2025 · EAP yes
National Inventory of Dams · matched record: Paint Creek Dam (OH00017)
How this lake is operated
- Documented project purposes (National Inventory of Dams): Flood Risk Reduction, Fish and Wildlife Pond, Recreation, Water Supply.
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
- 798.00 ft
- Winter / seasonal pool
- 788.00 ft
- Flood stage
- 845.00 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 Paint Creek Lake
- Who manages Paint Creek Lake?
- Paint Creek 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 Paint Creek Lake?
- The published full-pool elevation for Paint Creek Lake is 798.00 ft (NGVD29). Full pool is a published reference elevation — not a prediction of today’s level.
- Does Paint Creek Lake have a published winter pool?
- Paint Creek Lake has a published winter / seasonal pool elevation of 788.00 ft. Lake Insights does not currently have verified seasonal operating dates for this lake.
- Where does Lake Insights get the level reading for Paint Creek Lake?
- Lake Insights displays the latest available elevation for Paint Creek 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 Paint Creek Lake?
- Elevations for Paint Creek Lake are referenced to NGVD29 (MSL).
- What are the documented purposes of Paint Creek Lake?
- Documented purposes for Paint Creek Lake (National Inventory of Dams): Flood Risk Reduction, Fish and Wildlife Pond, Recreation, Water Supply.