Buchanan Dam · Colorado River (Texas) · Texas — updated daily from official gauges
Latest reading
Lake Buchanan is 99.4% full as of — surface elevation 1,019.77 feet, storage 861,537 acre-feet (capacity basis 866,694 acre-feet).
That elevation is 36.07 feet above its record low of 983.70 ft (, the lowest since the reservoir first filled), in a daily record going back to June 30, 1937 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir).
Storage is 121% of the July 24 average across 85 years of record.
Water level change: +0.29 ft over the past week, -0.12 ft over the past month, and -0.21 ft over the past year.
Percent full
99.4%
of 866,694 AF
Vs date average
121%
of the Jul 24 storage average since 1937
Elevation
1,019.77 ft
full pool 1,020.0 ft
Storage
861,537 AF
-5 KAF vs 1 yr ago
1-week change
+0.29 ft
elevation
1-year change
-0.21 ft
elevation
Lake Buchanan vs its record low
In the daily record used by this site (going back to June 30, 1937 (TWDB's period of record for this reservoir)), Lake Buchanan's lowest surface elevation since it first filled (first near-full reading 1938) was 983.70 feet on , when storage was 261,398 acre-feet. As of , Lake Buchanan is at 1,019.77 feet — 36.07 feet above that record. The record high in the same series was 1,021.26 ft on .
Lake Buchanan storage in context
Reading
Elevation (ft)
Storage (AF)
% full
Today (July 24, 2026)
1,019.77
861,537
99.4%
One year ago
1,019.98
866,245
99.9%
Five years ago
1,017.08
801,989
92.5%
Record low (September 9, 1952)
983.70
261,398
30.2%
Capacity basis
1,020.00
866,694
100.0%
Lake Buchanan water level, past 12 months
Lake Buchanan daily surface elevation (feet above sea level), past 12 months. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB). Rendered at build time from the official gauge record — no JavaScript.
Lake Buchanan elevation, full record
Lake Buchanan month-end surface elevation, 1937–2026 — the full daily record fetched from Water Data for Texas (TWDB), one point per month.
Last 14 daily readings
Date
Elevation (ft)
Day change
Storage (AF)
July 24, 2026
1,019.77
+0.01 ft
861,537
July 23, 2026
1,019.76
-0.02 ft
861,313
July 22, 2026
1,019.78
-0.03 ft
861,761
July 21, 2026
1,019.81
-0.07 ft
862,433
July 20, 2026
1,019.88
+0.39 ft
864,002
July 19, 2026
1,019.49
+0.00 ft
855,274
July 18, 2026
1,019.49
+0.01 ft
855,274
July 17, 2026
1,019.48
+0.07 ft
855,051
July 16, 2026
1,019.41
+0.05 ft
853,488
July 15, 2026
1,019.36
+0.00 ft
852,372
July 14, 2026
1,019.36
-0.02 ft
852,372
July 13, 2026
1,019.38
-0.05 ft
852,818
July 12, 2026
1,019.43
-0.04 ft
853,934
July 11, 2026
1,019.47
—
854,827
Frequently asked questions
What is the water level of Lake Buchanan today?
As of July 24, 2026, Lake Buchanan's surface elevation is 1,019.77 feet, with 861,537 acre-feet in storage — 99.4% of the 866,694 acre-foot capacity basis. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.
How full is Lake Buchanan?
Lake Buchanan is 99.4% full as of July 24, 2026. Its storage is 121% of the July 24 average across its record since 1937.
Is Lake Buchanan rising or falling?
Lake Buchanan is rising: its elevation changed +0.29 feet over the week ending July 24, 2026, -0.12 ft over the past month, and -0.21 feet over the past year. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.
What was Lake Buchanan's lowest water level on record?
Lake Buchanan's lowest surface elevation since it first filled (its first near-full reading in this series is from 1938) was 983.70 feet on September 9, 1952, per the daily record used by this site. As of July 24, 2026 the reservoir is 36.07 feet above that record low.
About this gauge
Lake Buchanan is the uppermost of the Highland Lakes on the Texas Colorado River and, with Lake Travis, one of the two water-supply reservoirs of the Lower Colorado River Authority.
Data: Texas Water Development Board (Water Data for Texas), daily water level and conservation storage for Lake Buchanan. Percent full is conservation storage divided by conservation capacity (866,694 acre-feet at the latest reading), matching TWDB's own methodology. Updated daily.