New Melones Dam · Stanislaus River · California — updated daily from official gauges
Latest reading
New Melones Lake is 68.2% full as of — surface elevation 1,017.33 feet, storage 1,635,643 acre-feet (capacity basis 2,400,000 acre-feet).
That elevation is its lowest July reading since 2022, and 296.18 feet above its record low of 721.15 ft (), in a daily record going back to October 1, 1985 (start of CDEC's daily record).
Storage is 114% of the July 23 average across 40 years of record.
Water level change: -1.67 ft over the past week, -8.54 ft over the past month, and -11.20 ft over the past year.
Percent full
68.2%
of 2,400,000 AF
Vs date average
114%
of the Jul 23 storage average since 1985
Elevation
1,017.33 ft
full pool 1,088.0 ft
Storage
1,635,643 AF
-112 KAF vs 1 yr ago
1-week change
-1.67 ft
elevation
1-year change
-11.20 ft
elevation
New Melones Lake vs its record low
In the daily record used by this site (going back to October 1, 1985 (start of CDEC's daily record)), New Melones Lake's lowest surface elevation was 721.15 feet on , when storage was 83,631 acre-feet. As of , New Melones Lake is at 1,017.33 feet — 296.18 feet above that record. The record high in the same series was 1,083.82 ft on .
New Melones Lake storage in context
Reading
Elevation (ft)
Storage (AF)
% full
Today (July 23, 2026)
1,017.33
1,635,643
68.2%
One year ago
1,028.53
1,747,639
72.8%
Five years ago
954.17
1,086,930
45.3%
Record low (October 1, 1992)
721.15
83,631
3.5%
Capacity basis
1,088.00
2,400,000
100.0%
New Melones Lake water level, past 12 months
New Melones Lake daily surface elevation (feet above sea level), past 12 months. Source: California DWR CDEC. Rendered at build time from the official gauge record — no JavaScript.
New Melones Lake elevation, full record
New Melones Lake month-end surface elevation, 1985–2026 — the full daily record fetched from California DWR CDEC, one point per month.
Last 14 daily readings
Date
Elevation (ft)
Day change
Storage (AF)
July 23, 2026
1,017.33
-0.34 ft
1,635,643
July 22, 2026
1,017.67
-0.27 ft
1,638,976
July 21, 2026
1,017.94
-0.09 ft
1,641,624
July 20, 2026
1,018.03
-0.27 ft
1,642,507
July 19, 2026
1,018.30
-0.15 ft
1,645,164
July 18, 2026
1,018.45
-0.26 ft
1,646,640
July 17, 2026
1,018.71
-0.29 ft
1,649,199
July 16, 2026
1,019.00
-0.28 ft
1,652,053
July 15, 2026
1,019.28
-0.20 ft
1,654,818
July 14, 2026
1,019.48
-0.26 ft
1,656,794
July 13, 2026
1,019.74
-0.24 ft
1,659,362
July 12, 2026
1,019.98
-0.27 ft
1,661,732
July 11, 2026
1,020.25
-0.26 ft
1,664,408
July 10, 2026
1,020.51
—
1,666,985
Frequently asked questions
What is the water level of New Melones Lake today?
As of July 23, 2026, New Melones Lake's surface elevation is 1,017.33 feet, with 1,635,643 acre-feet in storage — 68.2% of the 2,400,000 acre-foot capacity basis. Source: California DWR CDEC daily gauge data.
How full is New Melones Lake?
New Melones Lake is 68.2% full as of July 23, 2026. Its storage is 114% of the July 23 average across its record since 1985.
Is New Melones Lake rising or falling?
New Melones Lake is falling: its elevation changed -1.67 feet over the week ending July 23, 2026, -8.54 ft over the past month, and -11.20 feet over the past year. Source: California DWR CDEC daily gauge data.
What was New Melones Lake's lowest water level on record?
New Melones Lake's lowest surface elevation in the daily record since October 1, 1985 was 721.15 feet on October 1, 1992, per the daily record used by this site. As of July 23, 2026 the reservoir is 296.18 feet above that record low.
About this gauge
New Melones Lake on the Stanislaus River is a federal Central Valley Project reservoir and one of the largest reservoirs in California.
Data: California DWR CDEC station NML, daily reservoir elevation (sensor 6) and storage (sensor 15). Percent full uses the 2,400,000 acre-foot capacity from the CDEC daily reservoir storage summary. Updated daily.