Atwood Lake Water Level
Atwood Lake is at 927.66 ft today (Oct 31), 0.34 ft below its 928 ft full pool, down 0.05 ft this week.
Ohio · Indian Fork
Full pool is the summer level. Atwood Lake is drawn down about 8 ft to roughly 920 ft over winter for flood storage, so a lower reading outside the summer season is usually scheduled rather than drought.
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Water level history
About Atwood Lake
Atwood Lake is a reservoir on the Indian Fork in Ohio, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 928 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Atwood Lake's water level
Atwood Lake sits on Indian Fork, a tributary of Conotton Creek, straddling the Carroll and Tuscarawas county line in eastern Ohio. The Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District completed the dam in 1936. It is a rolled earth embankment 65 feet high and 3,700 feet long, controlling about 70 square miles of drainage. After the Flood Control Act of 1939, the Huntington District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers took over operation of the dam, while the MWCD still manages much of the land and water around it. The lake took its name from the village of Atwood, which was bought out, torn down and flooded when the reservoir filled. In low water, old foundation stones and pieces of a rail station and roadbed near Dellroy have been seen along the shore.
The level follows a simple yearly cycle. Summer pool is 928 feet, when the lake covers about 1,540 acres with 28 miles of shoreline and runs to about 41 feet at its deepest. Each November the Corps lowers it eight feet over roughly six weeks to a winter pool of 920, which opens up storage for snowmelt and spring rain and gives MWCD crews access to shoreline for stabilization work. Refilling starts in February, with a suggested intermediate level of 926 by March 15, so the lake is back at 928 before boating season. Above summer pool the lake is storing floodwater for the Muskingum basin downstream. The Corps lists 930 as the flood threat level and 941, the spillway crest, as the top of flood storage, when the lake would spread to roughly 2,460 acres. The top of the dam is 955.
The highest pool on record is 935.56 feet, set on March 22, 2008, about seven and a half feet over summer pool. The spring of 2026 came close: the Corps gauge climbed from about 928 in late March to a peak of 934.67 on April 7, then fell back to summer pool by about April 21. Low water is a different story, because the lake is held near its rule curve in all but serious drought. The fall of 2024 was one of those. With the region in extreme drought, the MWCD asked boat owners to plan on pulling their boats, cut its water sales and then halted them, and the lake sank to about 926 by late September, roughly two feet low before the winter drawdown even began. The district's director compared it to the 1988 drought.
Atwood Lake — frequently asked
What is Atwood Lake's normal summer level?
Summer pool is 928 feet above sea level. At that elevation the lake covers about 1,540 acres, has 28 miles of shoreline and is about 41 feet deep at its deepest point. Readings a few tenths above or below 928 are normal; anything above 930 means the Corps is holding floodwater.
When is Atwood Lake drawn down for winter?
The drawdown usually begins in early or mid November. In 2023 it started November 8 and in 2025 on November 15. Releases run about 42 days and lower the lake eight feet, from 928 to a winter pool of 920. The extra room catches snowmelt and spring rain, and MWCD uses the low water for shoreline repairs.
When does Atwood Lake refill in the spring?
The Corps starts bringing the lake back up in February. MWCD's published schedule suggests an intermediate level of 926 feet by March 15, with summer pool of 928 reached before the boating season. Spring inflow can push it past 928 early, as happened in 2026, when the lake was above summer pool by late March.
What is the record high level at Atwood Lake?
The pool of record is 935.56 feet, reached on March 22, 2008. That is about seven and a half feet above summer pool but still more than five feet below the spillway crest at 941. The closest recent approach was April 7, 2026, when the lake peaked at 934.67 feet, a little over two weeks after rising past summer pool.
Why was Atwood Lake so low in 2024?
Drought. By mid September 2024 eastern Ohio was in extreme drought and the lake was well below normal, sliding to about 926 feet by late September. MWCD cut its water sales by 75 percent and then stopped them entirely, and asked boat owners to start planning to remove their boats. Local boaters said it was the worst they had seen.
Is there a horsepower limit on Atwood Lake?
Yes. Ohio Administrative Code makes it unlawful to run a watercraft with a motor over 25 horsepower on Atwood Lake, and MWCD's lake map lists the same 25 horsepower limit. Ohio Department of Natural Resources boating rules apply on the district's water, so check no wake zones around the marinas and parks.
Is Atwood Lake good for saugeye fishing?
The Ohio Division of Wildlife has called Atwood arguably the most consistent producer of quality saugeye in northeast Ohio. Recent surveys found saugeye more abundant than regional and statewide averages, with many fish in the 15 to 18 inch range, and the annually stocked fish survive well. Crappie, largemouth bass, channel catfish and yellow perch are also present.
Other lakes near Atwood Lake
- Beach City LakeOH
- Alum Creek LakeOH
- Charles Mill LakeOH
- Wills Creek LakeOH
- Clendening LakeOH
- Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak)OH
See current levels for all 16 Ohio lakes and reservoirs →
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