Joe Pool Lake Water Level Today - 520.14 ft, 92.0% Full

Trinity River · Texas - updated daily from official gauges

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

• Joe Pool Lake is 92.0% full - high on this site's capacity scale - as of September 8, 2026. Surface elevation 520.14 feet, storage 137,658 acre-feet (capacity basis 149,629 acre-feet), per Texas Water Development Board data.
• That elevation is its lowest September reading since 2023, and 3.37 feet above its record low of 516.77 ft (October 20, 1996, the lowest since the reservoir first filled), in a daily record going back to September 30, 1988 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir).
• Storage is 85% of the September 8 average across 34 years of record.
• Joe Pool Lake is falling: elevation changed -0.21 ft over the past week, -1.06 ft over the past month, and -1.13 ft over the past year, per Texas Water Development Board data.

Joe Pool Lake is holding near the top of its operating range at 92.0% of capacity, -1.13 ft over the past twelve months.

Joe Pool Lake operating range

Joe Pool Lake is operated within a narrow band rather than drawn down and refilled over years. As of September 8, 2026 it sits 1.86 feet below its 522.0 ft full-pool reference. Over the past two years the daily record ranges from 520.14 ft (September 8, 2026) to 524.63 ft (June 8, 2026) - a band of 4.49 feet. The highest reading in the full record is 538.03 ft on May 30, 2015.

Storage above the full-pool reference is flood control space, not supply. A reservoir reading at or near 100% of its conservation capacity is being operated normally - it is not a surplus, and the operator may release water to hold that space.

Joe Pool Lake storage in context

Joe Pool Lake water level, past 12 months

92.0% full at the latest reading - across the past 12 months it ranged from 92.0% (September 8, 2026) to 100.0% (July 4, 2026). Percent full is storage against the 149,629-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above.

Joe Pool Lake elevation, full record

92.0% full at the latest reading - across the storage record since October 2, 1985 it ranged from 0.0% (October 2, 1985) to 117.5% (September 18, 2021). Percent full is storage against the 149,629-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 Joe Pool Lake today?

As of September 8, 2026, Joe Pool Lake's surface elevation is 520.14 feet, with 137,658 acre-feet in storage - 92.0% of the 149,629 acre-foot capacity basis. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

How full is Joe Pool Lake?

Joe Pool Lake is 92.0% full as of September 8, 2026. Its storage is 85% of the September 8 average across its record since 1988. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

When was Joe Pool Lake last full?

Joe Pool Lake was last at or above 95% of its 149,629 acre-foot capacity basis on August 17, 2026. As of September 8, 2026 it is 92.0% full. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

Is Joe Pool Lake rising or falling?

Joe Pool Lake is falling: its elevation changed -0.21 feet over the week ending September 8, 2026, -1.06 ft over the past month, and -1.13 feet over the past year. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

What was Joe Pool Lake's lowest water level on record?

Joe Pool Lake's lowest surface elevation since it first filled (its first near-full reading in this series is from 1989) was 516.77 feet on October 20, 1996, per the daily record used by this site. As of September 8, 2026 the reservoir is 3.37 feet above that record low.

About this gauge

Joe Pool Lake is a Texas water-supply reservoir in the Trinity River basin. Water Data for Texas publishes a conservation pool elevation of 522.0 ft and a conservation capacity of 149,629 acre-feet, with daily water level and storage recorded since 1985-10-02.

Operator

Texas Water Development Board (Water Data for Texas)

Station

joe-pool

Measurements

Daily water level and conservation storage

River

Trinity River

State

Texas

Full pool reference

522.0 ft

Capacity basis

149,629 acre-feet (Water Data for Texas (TWDB) conservation capacity)

Period of record

September 30, 1988 (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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