Bull Shoals Lake Water Level
Arkansas & Missouri · White River
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Water level history
About Bull Shoals Lake
Bull Shoals Lake is a reservoir on the White River in Arkansas & Missouri, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 654 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Bull Shoals Lake's water level
Bull Shoals Lake is a deep, sprawling Ozark reservoir on the White River, straddling the Arkansas and Missouri line behind Bull Shoals Dam, which was completed in the early 1950s. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Little Rock District, runs it primarily for flood control, with hydropower and recreation, and it is built to swing widely. It is normally held near a power pool around 654 feet above sea level, but it operates across a broad band, and the Corps can let it rise well into the 680s and beyond to store White River floodwater.
That range is enormous by design. Between its normal pool and a flood pool that reaches into the mid-690s, Bull Shoals can gain tens of thousands of acres of surface area, which is exactly what happened in the great White River flood of May 27, 2011, when the lake crested at a record 696.51 feet, above its design flood capacity. Its previous high, 695.02 feet in 2008, had been the highest since 1957. After such events the Corps releases the stored water downstream over weeks, and the lake settles back toward power pool.
Below the dam, cold water released from deep in the lake feeds one of the White River's famous trout tailwaters, while the lake itself is a clear, rocky bass fishery ringed by nineteen developed parks, marinas and Bull Shoals–White River State Park. Because the level moves so much, it matters to everyone on the water: high water after a flood can submerge low ramps and docks, while a drought that pulls the lake toward the bottom of its band leaves the shallowest ramps short of the water.
Bull Shoals Lake — frequently asked
Why does Bull Shoals Lake's water level change so much?
Bull Shoals is a deep Corps flood-control lake on the White River, designed with a very large band between its normal pool and its flood pool. It is held near a power pool around 654 feet and rises well above that to store floodwater after heavy Ozark rain, then is drawn back down as the Corps releases the water. That built-in range is why it swings so widely.
What is normal pool and how high can Bull Shoals Lake get?
The lake is normally held near a power pool around 654 feet above sea level and operates across a wide band, with a flood pool reaching into the mid-690s. The record high was 696.51 feet on May 27, 2011, during a historic White River flood, above the lake's design flood capacity.
How high did Bull Shoals Lake get in the 2011 flood?
During the great White River basin flood it crested at a record 696.51 feet on May 27, 2011, above its design flood pool. The previous record was 695.02 feet in 2008, which had been the highest level since 1957.
Is there trout fishing below Bull Shoals Dam?
Yes. Cold water released from deep in the lake creates a trout tailwater on the White River below the dam, part of the river's nationally known trout fishing, while the lake itself is a clear, rocky bass fishery.
Why is Bull Shoals Lake low during a drought?
As a flood-control lake it is drawn down toward the lower end of its operating band during dry years as water is released for power and downstream flow with little runoff coming in. A single storm barely moves such a deep lake; sustained Ozark drought is what pulls it down.
What is Bull Shoals Lake used for?
It provides flood control and hydropower and is a major Ozark recreation lake, with nineteen developed parks, marinas, Bull Shoals–White River State Park, clear-water bass fishing on the lake, and a trout tailwater below the dam.
Other lakes near Bull Shoals Lake
- Beaver LakeAR
- Greers Ferry LakeAR
- Millwood LakeAR
- Norfork LakeAR/MO
- Lake of the OzarksMO
- Table Rock LakeMO
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