Lake Sakakawea is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Published reference elevations are listed below.
Lake Status
2.58 feet above full pool
+2.58 ft vs full pool
- 7-day trend
- Rising
- 7-day change
- Up 0.10 ft
- 30-day change
- Down 0.18 ft
- Last updated
- 1 hour ago
Lake Sakakawea is currently 2.58 feet above full pool and has risen slightly over the past week. The lake is above full pool and has continued to rise over the past week.
Watershed drought conditions
Dunn County, ND · surrounding county from lake location
Severe Drought
Severe drought conditions are present.
Severity
Weekly trend
Stable
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 22, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Dunn County, ND
Key Facts
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Full pool
Flood stage
Datum
Current-level source
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
- 1850.00 ft
- Flood stage
- 1854.00 ft
Published reference elevation. Not necessarily a fixed year-round target for every project.
Flood stage is not interchangeable with flood pool.
Current data source
Managing authority: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District
Observation source used by Lake Insights: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
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. Geological Survey (USGS), 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 Lake Sakakawea
- Who manages Lake Sakakawea?
- Lake Sakakawea is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. Lake Insights reports published gauge readings; it does not operate the waterbody.
- What is full pool at Lake Sakakawea?
- The published full-pool elevation for Lake Sakakawea is 1850.00 ft (NGVD29). Full pool is a published reference elevation — not a prediction of today’s level.
- Where does Lake Insights get the level reading for Lake Sakakawea?
- Lake Insights displays the latest available elevation for Lake Sakakawea from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The managing authority (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District) may differ from the agency that publishes the observation used on this page.
- What datum is used for Lake Sakakawea?
- Elevations for Lake Sakakawea are referenced to NGVD29 (MSL).