Rough River Lake lake and shoreline

Rough River Lake Water Level

Officially Rough River Lake (Rough River Dam)

Kentucky

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Rough River Lake

Rough River Lake is currently 4.1 feet below full pool, with a water-surface elevation of 485.9 feet.

485.90 ft · Updated 2 hours ago · USACE Louisville District Daily Lake Report

Current level

485.9ft

−4.10 ft vs full pool

Low

Vs full pool

Since last reading

Down 0.45 ft

Previous readingOct 24486.6 ft

7-day change

Down 2.95 ft

7-day trend: Falling

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 3.85 ft

29 daily readings in the last 30 days

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Water Level History

Current
485.90 ft
24h
-0.45 ft
7d
-2.95 ft
30d
-3.85 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

Rough River Lake is currently 485.90 ft, 4.10 ft below its full pool. The lake has fallen 2.95 ft over the past 7 days and 3.85 ft over the past 30 days.

Rough River Lake Level Details

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

Conditions & Reference

Level status

4.1 ft below full pool

Current level
485.9 ft
Full pool
490 ft
DatumElevation referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
NGVD29
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
USACE Louisville District Daily Lake Report

Reference levels

  • Full pool490 ft
  • Flood stage524 ft

Surrounding county drought

Abnormally Dry

4.2% of surrounding county in official drought (D1–D4).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Worsening

Surrounding county drought

Breckinridge County, KY

Abnormally Dry

Abnormally Dry. The largest share of Breckinridge County, KY is Abnormally Dry (D0). 4.2% 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

4.2% of the surrounding county is in official drought categories (D1–D4). Dominant category remains Abnormally Dry.

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 Breckinridge County, KY

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Oct 25, 2026486.15-0.45
Oct 24, 2026486.6-0.4
Oct 23, 2026487-0.45
Oct 22, 2026487.45-0.45
Oct 21, 2026487.9-0.4
Oct 20, 2026488.3-0.4
Oct 19, 2026488.7-0.4

Common questions about Rough River Lake’s water level

  • The current water level at Rough River Lake is 485.9 ft (updated 2 hours ago). You can track the Rough River Lake lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Full pool for Rough River Lake is 490 ft — the normal conservation target elevation when the reservoir is at its designed summer or operating pool.

  • The current 7-day trend for the Rough River Lake lake level is falling — falling about 2.95 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Rough River Lake is currently 4.10 ft below full pool.

Lake level glossary

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

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