Deer Creek Lake Water Level
Deer Creek Lake is at 804.46 ft today (Oct 31), 5.54 ft below its 810 ft full pool, down 1.68 ft this week.
Ohio · Deer Creek
Full pool is the summer level. Deer Creek Lake is drawn down about 14 ft to roughly 796 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 Deer Creek Lake
Deer Creek Lake is a reservoir on the Deer Creek in Ohio, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 810 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Deer Creek Lake's water level
Deer Creek Lake is a flood control reservoir first and a recreation lake second, and its level follows that order. The Corps of Engineers built the dam on Deer Creek between 1965 and 1968 under the Flood Control Act of 1938, as one piece of the comprehensive plan for the Ohio River basin. It is a rolled earth embankment 93 feet high and 3,800 feet long, with a gated spillway of three tainter gates and five sluices at the bottom of the outlet works, plus a 4,600 foot earthen dike about 3.8 miles southwest of the dam. The lake straddles Pickaway and Fayette counties south of Mount Sterling and gathers runoff from 277 square miles, roughly 177,000 acres, which is why Ohio DNR warns the level can swing as much as 20 feet. Whatever the dam holds back is released into the Scioto River south of Circleville. The Corps credits the project with preventing more than $222 million in flood damages, including about $15 million in 2021 alone.
The normal year runs on two numbers. Summer pool is 810 feet, which holds about 21,000 acre feet and spreads the lake over roughly 1,280 acres. Winter pool is 796 feet, fourteen feet lower, which empties shoreline space for winter and spring storm runoff. The Corps guide curve holds 810 through the boating season, then lowers the lake on a steady line starting around the third week of October so it reaches 796 by December 1. Refill begins April 1, when the dam cuts releases to the minimum and lets the lake rise; on paper it is back at summer pool by mid April, but in practice the fill depends on rain, and in 2026 the lake did not top 810 until about May 8. Above summer pool the reservoir still has room to rise 34 feet before it reaches the top of the flood control pool at 844 feet, where it would hold about 102,500 acre feet. The top of the dam sits at 858.
When a storm hits the watershed, the Corps can close the gates and let the lake take the water while the Scioto is high, then release it later. That is what happened in late May 2026. Gauge data show the lake near 811.6 feet on May 22, then climbing steadily to a peak of 830.45 feet on May 30, a little more than 20 feet above summer pool. It took until about June 11 to work back down to 811. Smaller rises followed: in August the Corps shut the spillway gates, cutting outflow to about 17 cubic feet per second while inflow peaked near 2,910, and the lake crested around 818 on August 23. In April 2025 the pool reached about 824.6 feet. Each of these closes things in a predictable order. Above 811 feet the Old 207 area, the wildlife area and the fishermen's access road go under; above 814 the marina ramp, parking lot and lower level of the marina building; near 820 the shooting range and Miller Picnic Area are at risk.
Deer Creek Lake — frequently asked
What is Deer Creek Lake's normal summer pool?
810 feet above sea level. That is the Corps of Engineers' top of the recreation pool, holding about 21,000 acre feet of water. Ohio DNR's lake contour map is drawn to a normal summer pool of 810.5 feet, and in practice the gauge often reads a few tenths above 810 through the summer. Anything more than a foot or so above that means the dam is storing floodwater, not that the lake is unusually full.
When does Deer Creek Lake draw down for winter?
The Corps lowers the lake from the 810 foot summer pool to the 796 foot winter pool each fall, finishing by December 1. The 2026 guide curve starts the decline around October 20 and drops the lake on a steady line through November. Ohio DNR's drawdown table lists a 14 foot drop with a window of October 1 to November 30. Expect higher flows below the dam while the lake is coming down.
When does Deer Creek Lake refill in spring?
Refill starts April 1, when the Corps cuts releases to the minimum and lets the lake rise from 796 feet. The guide curve reaches 810 by mid April and Ohio DNR lists a refill window of April 1 to May 15, but the actual pace depends on rainfall. In 2026 the lake crossed 810 around May 8. If the spring is dry, the lake can sit below summer pool well into the season.
What is the record high level at Deer Creek Lake?
The Corps of Engineers lists a top of record elevation of 839.61 feet, dated January 2005, during the winter flooding that hit Ohio that month. That is nearly 30 feet above summer pool and within about four and a half feet of the top of the flood control pool at 844 feet. For comparison, the late May 2026 flood peaked at 830.45 feet.
Why is Deer Creek Lake so high?
Because it is doing its job. The dam's main purpose is flood risk reduction, so when heavy rain falls on its 277 square mile watershed and the Scioto River is high downstream, the Corps closes or throttles the gates and stores water in the lake. Levels can climb several feet in a day; on August 21, 2026 the lake rose about five feet in 24 hours. The water is released once downstream rivers can take it.
Why is Deer Creek Lake so low?
Most of the time a low reading is simply the scheduled winter pool. From early December until the April refill the Corps holds the lake near 796 feet, 14 feet below summer pool, to make room for winter and spring runoff. The lowest readings in the last several years, around 796 feet, all fall in that winter window. Fall readings between 796 and 810 mean the drawdown is under way.
Is Deer Creek Lake good for crappie?
Ohio DNR calls it a top crappie destination in central Ohio. The lake holds both black and white crappie, and fisheries staff reported many large fish during spring 2025 sampling. Biologists suggest fishing submerged brush piles and trees or trolling small crankbaits. The daily limit is 30 crappie with a 9 inch minimum. Saugeye, catfish and largemouth bass are also common catches, and saugeye and white bass are fished in the tailwater below the dam.
Other lakes near Deer Creek Lake
- Delaware LakeOH
- Clendening LakeOH
- Dillon LakeOH
- Charles Mill LakeOH
- Leesville LakeOH
- Beach City LakeOH
See current levels for all 16 Ohio lakes and reservoirs →
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