Pokegama Lake
Pokegama Lake is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Minnesota DNR. Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from USACE MVP District.
Lake Status
- 7-day trend
- Falling
- 7-day change
- Down 0.08 ft
- 30-day change
- Down 0.08 ft
- Last updated
- 2 hours ago
Watershed drought conditions
Itasca County, MN · surrounding county from lake location
Severe Drought
Severe drought conditions are present.
Severity
Weekly trend
Improving
Compared with last week
Official drought
Yes
100% of the watershed is currently classified as official drought (D1+).
Expected impacts
- Lower stream inflows
- Lake levels may decline faster
- Vegetation is becoming drier
- Minor increase in wildfire risk
U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Sep 8, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Itasca County, MN
Key Facts
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Official purposes
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
- 82,000 acre-ft
- Max storage
- 120,000 acre-ft
- Surface area at normal pool
- 13,000 acres
- Drainage area
- 660 sq mi
- Spillway capacity (design)
- 6,000 cfs
- Dam structure
- Concrete · 17 ft high · completed 1884
- Hazard classification
- Significant
- Safety & inspection
- last inspection Jul 13, 2021 · EAP yes
National Inventory of Dams · matched record: Pokegama Dam (MN00584)
How this lake is operated
- Documented project purposes (National Inventory of Dams): Recreation, Fish and Wildlife Pond, Flood Risk Reduction, Navigation, Other, 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.
Current data source
Managing authority: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Minnesota DNR
Observation source used by Lake Insights: USACE MVP District
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 USACE MVP District, 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 Pokegama Lake
- Who manages Pokegama Lake?
- Pokegama Lake is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Minnesota DNR. Lake Insights reports published gauge readings; it does not operate the waterbody.
- Where does Lake Insights get the level reading for Pokegama Lake?
- Lake Insights displays the latest available elevation for Pokegama Lake from USACE MVP District. The managing authority (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Minnesota DNR) may differ from the agency that publishes the observation used on this page.
- What are the documented purposes of Pokegama Lake?
- Documented purposes for Pokegama Lake (National Inventory of Dams): Recreation, Fish and Wildlife Pond, Flood Risk Reduction, Navigation, Other, Water Supply.