1,663.13 ft
RisingClear · 3.4 mph SW
Good
Best window: 4:50 AM–5:50 AM
Level just now · Weather 1 hour ago · Phoenix, Phoenix-Deer Valley Municipal Airport
Lake Pleasant is managed by Central Arizona Project / U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (New Waddell Dam); Maricopa County Parks (recreation). Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from Central Arizona Project. Published reference elevations are listed below.
38.87 feet below full pool
−38.87 ft vs full pool
Lake Pleasant is currently 38.87 feet below full pool and has been rising over the past week. Recent conditions indicate improving reservoir levels, although the lake remains below its normal operating elevation.
Yavapai County, AZ · U.S. Drought Monitor county statistics at the lake location (not a lake-specific designation)
No Drought
No USDM drought categories are reported for Yavapai County, AZ. These figures describe the surrounding county from the lake location, not the lake itself.
Severity
Weekly trend
Improving
Compared with last week
Official drought (D1–D4)
No
Abnormally Dry (D0) is present in the surrounding county, but D0 is not counted as official drought (D1–D4).
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 Yavapai County, AZ
Waterbody / project type
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.
Flood stage is not interchangeable with flood pool.
Managing authority: Central Arizona Project / U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (New Waddell Dam); Maricopa County Parks (recreation)
Observation source used by Lake Insights: Central Arizona Project
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 Central Arizona Project, 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.
Official purposes
Full pool
Flood stage
Datum
Current-level source
Project / NID identifier
Dam / watershed (NID inventory record)
Dated National Inventory of Dams fields from a confidently matched record — design values and inventory dates, not live gage readings and not a current inspection or safety determination. An older or missing inspection date does not mean the dam is currently unsafe.
Last inspection date: Apr 19, 2022
Inventory record values only. Dates shown are what NID published for this dam entry — not a Lake Insights inspection or an up-to-date safety rating.
National Inventory of Dams · matched record: New Waddell Dam (AZ82929) · last inspection date on record Apr 19, 2022
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.