Rathbun Lake lake and shoreline

Rathbun Lake Water Level

Iowa

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Rathbun Lake

Rathbun Lake is currently 1.7 feet above full pool, with a water-surface elevation of 905.7 feet.

905.72 ft · Updated 7 hours ago · USACE NWK District

Current level

905.72ft

+1.72 ft vs full pool

High

Vs full pool

Since last reading

No meaningful change

Previous readingOct 24905.73 ft

7-day change

Down 0.35 ft

7-day trend: Falling

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 0.08 ft

29 daily readings in the last 30 days

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Water Level History

Current
905.72 ft
24h
0.00 ft
7d
-0.35 ft
30d
-0.08 ft

Elevation (ft) NGVD29 · MSL

Reference line is designed full pool.

Water Temperature

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Lake Level Context

Level remains above the full pool

Rathbun Lake is currently 905.72 ft, 1.72 ft above its full pool. The lake has fallen 0.35 ft over the past 7 days and 0.08 ft over the past 30 days.

Rathbun Lake Level Details

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

Conditions & Reference

Level status

1.72 ft above full pool

Current level
905.72 ft
Full pool
904 ft
DatumElevation referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
NGVD29
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
USACE NWK District

Reference levels

  • Full pool904 ft
  • Flood stage926 ft

Surrounding county drought

No Drought

No official drought (D1–D4) reported for the surrounding county.

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Stable

Surrounding county drought

Appanoose County, IA

No Drought

No Drought. No USDM drought categories are reported for Appanoose County, IA. These figures describe the surrounding county from the lake location, not the lake itself.. Trend: Stable compared with last week. Official drought (D1–D4) no

Severity

NoneExtreme

Weekly trend

Stable

Compared with last week

Official drought (D1–D4)

No

No D1–D4 area is reported for the surrounding county.

U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Oct 20, 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 Appanoose County, IA

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Oct 25, 2026905.730
Oct 24, 2026905.730
Oct 23, 2026905.73-0.03
Oct 22, 2026905.76-0.07
Oct 21, 2026905.83-0.07
Oct 20, 2026905.9-0.08
Oct 19, 2026905.98-0.1

Common questions about Rathbun Lake’s water level

  • The current water level at Rathbun Lake is 905.72 ft (updated 7 hours ago). You can track the Rathbun Lake lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Full pool for Rathbun Lake is 904 ft — the normal conservation target elevation when the reservoir is at its designed summer or operating pool.

  • The current 7-day trend for the Rathbun Lake lake level is falling — falling about 0.35 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Rathbun Lake is currently 1.72 ft above full pool.

Lake level glossary

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

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