Lake Cherokee Water Level Today - 278.17 ft, 85.2% Full

Sabine River · Texas - updated daily from official gauges

Western Reservoir Conditions·Daily·No. 47·Tuesday, September 8, 2026·Latest reading September 8, 2026

• Lake Cherokee is 85.2% full - high on this site's capacity scale - as of September 8, 2026. Surface elevation 278.17 feet, storage 34,165 acre-feet (capacity basis 40,094 acre-feet), per Texas Water Development Board data.
• That elevation is its lowest September reading since 2023, and 1.01 feet above its record low of 277.16 ft (October 25, 2023), in a daily record going back to February 14, 2017 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir).
• Storage is 92% of the September 8 average across 10 years of record.
• Lake Cherokee is falling: elevation changed -0.20 ft over the past week, -1.02 ft over the past month, and -1.77 ft over the past year, per Texas Water Development Board data.

Lake Cherokee has fallen 1.77 feet in twelve months, and now sits 1.01 feet above its record low.

Lake Cherokee vs its record low

In the daily record used by this site (going back to February 14, 2017 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir)), Lake Cherokee's lowest surface elevation was 277.16 feet on October 25, 2023, when storage was 31,020 acre-feet. As of September 8, 2026, Lake Cherokee is at 278.17 feet - 1.01 feet above that record. The record high in the same series was 282.89 ft on April 10, 2024.

Lake Cherokee storage in context

Lake Cherokee water level, past 12 months

85.2% full at the latest reading - across the past 12 months it ranged from 85.2% (September 8, 2026) to 100.0% (July 21, 2026). Percent full is storage against the 40,094-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above.

Lake Cherokee elevation, full record

85.2% full at the latest reading - across the storage record since February 14, 2017 it ranged from 77.4% (October 25, 2023) to 100.0% (July 21, 2026). Percent full is storage against the 40,094-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above. Every percentage here is measured against today's capacity basis; a reservoir's surveyed capacity changes as sediment accumulates behind the dam, so early-record percentages are indicative rather than exact.

Last 14 daily readings

Frequently asked questions

What is the water level of Lake Cherokee today?

As of September 8, 2026, Lake Cherokee's surface elevation is 278.17 feet, with 34,165 acre-feet in storage - 85.2% of the 40,094 acre-foot capacity basis. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

How full is Lake Cherokee?

Lake Cherokee is 85.2% full as of September 8, 2026. Its storage is 92% of the September 8 average across its record since 2017. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

When was Lake Cherokee last full?

Lake Cherokee was last at or above 95% of its 40,094 acre-foot capacity basis on August 4, 2026. As of September 8, 2026 it is 85.2% full. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

Is Lake Cherokee rising or falling?

Lake Cherokee is falling: its elevation changed -0.20 feet over the week ending September 8, 2026, -1.02 ft over the past month, and -1.77 feet over the past year. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

What was Lake Cherokee's lowest water level on record?

Lake Cherokee's lowest surface elevation in the daily record since February 14, 2017 was 277.16 feet on October 25, 2023, per the daily record used by this site. As of September 8, 2026 the reservoir is 1.01 feet above that record low.

About this gauge

Lake Cherokee is a Texas water-supply reservoir in the Sabine River basin. Water Data for Texas publishes a conservation pool elevation of 280.0 ft and a conservation capacity of 40,094 acre-feet, with daily water level and storage recorded since 2017-02-14.

Operator

Texas Water Development Board (Water Data for Texas)

Station

cherokee

Measurements

Daily water level and conservation storage

River

Sabine River

State

Texas

Full pool reference

280.0 ft

Capacity basis

40,094 acre-feet (Water Data for Texas (TWDB) conservation capacity)

Period of record

February 14, 2017 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir)

Status

Provisional - subject to revision by the reporting agency

Update cadence

Daily

TWDB reports conservation storage against a conservation capacity that is restated as new volumetric surveys are completed, so a percent-full figure here can change without the water level changing. TWDB's methodology page is linked in the notes below.

Download the daily CSV (date, elevation ft, storage AF) or see all data downloads.

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