Lake Winnibigoshish
Lake Winnibigoshish is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Minnesota DNR. Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from USACE MVP District. Published reference elevations are listed below.
Lake Status
4.91 feet below full pool
−4.91 ft vs full pool
- 7-day trend
- Rising
- 7-day change
- Down 0.05 ft
- 30-day change
- Down 0.05 ft
- Last updated
- 1 hour ago
Lake Winnibigoshish is currently 4.91 feet below full pool and has risen slightly over the past week. Recent conditions indicate improving reservoir levels, although the lake remains below its normal operating elevation.
Watershed drought conditions
Cass County, MN · 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 8, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Cass County, MN
Key Facts
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Official purposes
Full pool
Datum
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
- 220,000 acre-ft
- Max storage
- 550,000 acre-ft
- Surface area at normal pool
- 68,000 acres
- Drainage area
- 1,442 sq mi
- Spillway capacity (design)
- 10,000 cfs
- Dam structure
- Earth · 23 ft high · completed 1884
- Hazard classification
- Significant
- Safety & inspection
- last inspection Aug 12, 2026 · EAP yes
National Inventory of Dams · matched record: Winnibigoshish Dam (MN00586)
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.
Published reference elevations
- Full pool
- 1303.00 ft
Published reference elevation. Not necessarily a fixed year-round target for every project.
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 Lake Winnibigoshish
- Who manages Lake Winnibigoshish?
- Lake Winnibigoshish is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers / Minnesota DNR. Lake Insights reports published gauge readings; it does not operate the waterbody.
- What is full pool at Lake Winnibigoshish?
- The published full-pool elevation for Lake Winnibigoshish is 1303.00 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 Winnibigoshish?
- Lake Insights displays the latest available elevation for Lake Winnibigoshish 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 datum is used for Lake Winnibigoshish?
- Elevations for Lake Winnibigoshish are referenced to NGVD29 (MSL).
- What are the documented purposes of Lake Winnibigoshish?
- Documented purposes for Lake Winnibigoshish (National Inventory of Dams): Recreation, Fish and Wildlife Pond, Flood Risk Reduction, Navigation, Other, Water Supply.