Lake Buchanan Water Level Today - 1,018.87 ft, 97.1% Full

Buchanan Dam · Colorado River (Texas) · Texas - updated daily from official gauges

Western Reservoir Conditions·Daily·No. 47·Tuesday, September 8, 2026·Latest reading September 7, 2026

• Lake Buchanan is 97.1% full - effectively full on this site's capacity scale - as of September 7, 2026. Surface elevation 1,018.87 feet, storage 841,464 acre-feet (capacity basis 866,694 acre-feet), per Texas Water Development Board data.
• That elevation is 35.17 feet above its record low of 983.70 ft (September 9, 1952, 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 127% of the September 7 average across 84 years of record.
• Lake Buchanan is falling: elevation changed -0.18 ft over the past week, -0.79 ft over the past month, and -0.04 ft over the past year, per Texas Water Development Board data.

Lake Buchanan is holding near the top of its operating range at 97.1% of capacity, -0.04 ft over the past twelve months.

Lake Buchanan operating range

Lake Buchanan is operated within a narrow band rather than drawn down and refilled over years. As of September 7, 2026 it sits 1.13 feet below its 1,020.0 ft full-pool reference. Over the past two years the daily record ranges from 997.64 ft (May 22, 2025) to 1,020.03 ft (July 28, 2025) - a band of 22.39 feet. The highest reading in the full record is 1,021.26 ft on December 21, 1991.

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.

Lake Buchanan storage in context

Lake Buchanan water level, past 12 months

97.1% full at the latest reading - across the past 12 months it ranged from 93.3% (January 28, 2026) to 99.9% (June 30, 2026). Percent full is storage against the 866,694-acre-foot capacity basis, not a share of the elevation plotted above.

Lake Buchanan elevation, full record

97.1% full at the latest reading - across the storage record since June 30, 1937 it ranged from 12.9% (September 30, 1937) to 100.7% (November 4, 1974). Percent full is storage against the 866,694-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 Buchanan today?

As of September 7, 2026, Lake Buchanan's surface elevation is 1,018.87 feet, with 841,464 acre-feet in storage - 97.1% of the 866,694 acre-foot capacity basis. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

How full is Lake Buchanan?

Lake Buchanan is 97.1% full as of September 7, 2026. Its storage is 127% of the September 7 average across its record since 1937. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

When was Lake Buchanan last full?

Lake Buchanan was last at or above 95% of its 866,694 acre-foot capacity basis on September 7, 2026. As of September 7, 2026 it is 97.1% full. Source: Water Data for Texas (TWDB) daily data.

Is Lake Buchanan rising or falling?

Lake Buchanan is falling: its elevation changed -0.18 feet over the week ending September 7, 2026, -0.79 ft over the past month, and -0.04 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 September 7, 2026 the reservoir is 35.17 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.

Operator

Texas Water Development Board (Water Data for Texas)

Station

buchanan

Measurements

Daily water level and conservation storage

Dam

Buchanan Dam

River

Colorado River (Texas)

State

Texas

Coordinates

30.7512, -98.4184 (USGS NWIS site 08148000 (NAD83))

Full pool reference

1,020.0 ft

Capacity basis

866,694 acre-feet (Water Data for Texas (TWDB) conservation capacity)

Period of record

June 30, 1937 (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.

Other reservoirs tracked

Texas & Rio Grande: Lake Travis, Canyon Lake, Amistad Reservoir, Falcon Lake, Elephant Butte Reservoir.
Also: Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Navajo Reservoir, Shasta Lake, Lake Oroville, Folsom Lake, Lake Berryessa, New Melones Lake, Trinity Lake, Don Pedro Reservoir, San Luis Reservoir.