Lake Eufaula Water Level
Oklahoma · Canadian River
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Water level history
About Lake Eufaula
Lake Eufaula is a reservoir on the Canadian River in Oklahoma, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's the largest lake in Oklahoma by surface area. Its full summer pool sits at 585 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Lake Eufaula's water level
Lake Eufaula is the largest lake in Oklahoma by surface area, sprawling across roughly 102,000 acres of the Canadian River behind Eufaula Dam. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, runs it for flood control, hydropower, water supply and navigation, with recreation layered on top. Its conservation pool sits at 585 feet above sea level, and the Corps keeps a flood pool above that up to 597 feet, so Eufaula is built to rise about a dozen feet as it catches Canadian River runoff and is then drawn back down.
That flood storage is not just theoretical. In the wet spring of 2015 heavy rains filled the lake and the Corps opened the gates to release as much as 48,000 cubic feet per second, the highest discharge rate since 1990. That is the pattern for Eufaula: storms push it up toward the top of the flood pool, and then the stored water is let out downstream over the following weeks while the lake settles back toward 585 feet. Its biggest moves come from weather rather than any fixed seasonal drawdown.
For anglers and boaters, Eufaula is a giant, fairly shallow playground. It is known for largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky bass, crappie, catfish and white bass, with striped bass caught below the dam, and its enormous shoreline supports Lake Eufaula State Park and a string of marinas and coves. Because so much of the recreation happens on ramps and docks set for the 585-foot conservation pool, a big flood year that pushes the lake toward 597 feet can close low-lying facilities until the water recedes.
Lake Eufaula — frequently asked
Why does Lake Eufaula's water level change?
Eufaula is a Corps flood-control lake on the Canadian River. It is held near a conservation pool of 585 feet and rises into a flood pool up to 597 feet when it catches runoff, after which the Corps releases that water downstream. Storms, not a seasonal schedule, drive its biggest swings.
What are conservation pool and flood pool for Lake Eufaula?
Conservation pool is 585 feet above sea level and the top of the flood pool is 597 feet, giving the Corps about a 12-foot band of flood storage above normal.
How much water can Eufaula Dam release during a flood?
In the wet spring of 2015 the Corps released as much as 48,000 cubic feet per second from Eufaula Dam, the highest rate since 1990, to move floodwater downstream after heavy rains filled the lake.
Why is Lake Eufaula high after heavy rain?
Its flood pool is designed to capture Canadian River runoff, so the lake rises after big storms and is then drawn back toward 585 feet as the Corps releases the water over the following weeks. That is normal flood-control operation.
What fish are in Lake Eufaula?
It is known for largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky bass, crappie, catfish and white bass, with striped bass caught in the tailwater below the dam.
What is Lake Eufaula used for?
It provides flood control, hydropower, water supply and navigation, and is Oklahoma's largest lake by area for recreation, with Lake Eufaula State Park, numerous marinas, and popular bass and crappie fishing.
Other lakes near Lake Eufaula
- Lake Altus-LugertOK
- Arcadia LakeOK
- Broken Bow LakeOK
- Canton LakeOK
- Fort Cobb ReservoirOK
- Fort Gibson LakeOK
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