Dillon Lake Water Level
Dillon Lake is at 737.38 ft today (Oct 31), 0.38 ft above its 737 ft full pool, down 0.36 ft this week.
Ohio · Licking River
Full pool is the summer level. Dillon Lake is drawn down about 3 ft to roughly 734 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 Dillon Lake
Dillon Lake is a reservoir on the Licking River in Ohio, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 737 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Dillon Lake's water level
Dillon Lake exists to keep the Licking River from piling into Zanesville. The dam sits about 8.5 miles above the river's mouth, roughly six miles northwest of the city, and it regulates runoff from a 742 square mile drainage area that reaches back past Newark, where the Licking forms. The river's history explains the job. In March 1913 the Licking rose first and the Muskingum then swallowed it, backing the Licking up as far as nine miles and spreading it two and a half miles wide in places. The Muskingum crested at 51.8 feet in Zanesville, flooding about 40 percent of the city and leaving some 8,150 people homeless. Now, when forecasts show the Licking heading toward flood, the Huntington District of the Corps of Engineers cuts releases and stores the water until the Muskingum and Ohio recede, then lets it out in a controlled way. The Corps credits the dam with preventing more than $1.5 billion in flood damages, against a construction cost of just under $30 million, with benefits reaching downstream past McConnelsville.
The number to watch is 737. That is summer pool, the top of the recreation pool, when the lake covers about 1,560 acres and holds roughly 10,300 acre-feet. For the winter and spring flood season the lake is dropped about three feet, to the 734 foot contour (the Corps lists the top of its conservation pool at 733.7), which shrinks the water to about 1,325 acres and frees extra room for runoff. Everything above 737 is flood space. The flood pool tops out at 790 feet, where the reservoir would hold 267,000 acre-feet, about 26 times its summer volume. The highest level in the Corps' records is 788.23 feet, about 51 feet above summer pool and less than two feet below the top of the flood pool. Normal releases pass through gates on an intake structure and a tunnel through the dam's left abutment, then into a stilling basin. A sudden rise after heavy rain is the reservoir doing its work, not a malfunction.
Congress authorized Dillon in the Flood Control Act of 1938, but World War II and then the Korean War held up construction, which required relocating railroads, roads, utilities, cemeteries and small towns. The earthen dam, 1,400 feet long and 118 feet high, was finished in September 1961, with two companion dikes, Nashport and Pleasant Valley, north and northwest of it. It is part of the Muskingum basin reservoir system. The name comes from Moses Dillon, who bought the land in 1803 and built Zanesville's original Y-Bridge. Ohio's Divisions of Wildlife and Parks manage about 8,200 acres around the reservoir under a federal license, including Dillon State Park and a 3,612 acre wildlife area where seasonal flooding often covers ground upstream of the lake. State biologists have identified about 27 fish species in the reservoir and tailwater. The Division of Wildlife stocks roughly 75,000 saugeye a year, and crappie, channel catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill and muskellunge fill out the list.
Dillon Lake — frequently asked
What is Dillon Lake's full pool level?
Summer pool is 737 feet, which the Corps lists as both the top of the recreation pool and the bottom of the flood control pool. At that level the lake covers about 1,560 acres. The state's depth map is referenced to 737 feet; it is based on a 1999 survey and labels depths down to 24 feet, though the state notes the bottom can change over time.
Why is Dillon Lake lower in winter?
The Corps raises the lake in the warmer months to support boat access and lowers it for the winter and spring flood season to gain extra storage. The drawdown is about three feet, from 737 to the 734 foot contour, cutting the water area from roughly 1,560 to 1,325 acres.
What is the record high level at Dillon Lake?
The Corps lists a top of record elevation of 788.23 feet, about 51 feet above summer pool and just under two feet below the 790 foot top of the flood control pool. The Corps data we reviewed does not give the date of that crest. At 790 feet the reservoir would hold about 267,000 acre-feet, compared with roughly 10,300 at summer pool. The Recent high in the gauge panel above, 771.51 feet in 2022, covers only the last few years of readings, not the full Corps record.
Has the Dillon Dam spillway ever been used?
No. The Corps says the uncontrolled emergency spillway near the dam's left abutment has never flowed. It exists to keep the dam from being overtopped in a storm larger than the reservoir can store, and it could pass about 89,200 cubic feet per second. In that case water would also escape at two low points near Township Hall and Black Run, and flooding could reach from Zanesville to Marietta.
When was Dillon Dam built?
It was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938, but World War II and the Korean War delayed the work. The Ohio Division of Wildlife and the state park both date completion to 1961, the wildlife division specifying September 1961, while the Corps' dam safety record lists 1960. Building it meant relocating railroads, roads, utilities, cemeteries and small towns along the Licking.
What fish are in Dillon Lake?
Ohio biologists have identified about 27 species in the reservoir and tailwater. The Division of Wildlife stocks roughly 75,000 saugeye each year, and the lake also holds largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, bluegill, muskellunge, carp and several suckers. The state park also lists hybrid striped bass. Anglers 16 and older need an Ohio fishing license.
Is there a horsepower limit on Dillon Lake?
No. Dillon is an unlimited horsepower lake. Dillon State Park has two boat ramps and a marina with more than 90 seasonal docks for lease and four overnight rental docks. The 1,360 foot swimming beach near the park office is open in daylight, and the state's BeachGuard program posts water quality advisories from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Other lakes near Dillon Lake
- Leesville LakeOH
- Delaware LakeOH
- Paint Creek LakeOH
- Deer Creek LakeOH
- Piedmont LakeOH
- Clendening LakeOH
See current levels for all 16 Ohio lakes and reservoirs →
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