Lake Georgetown Water Level
Lake Georgetown is at 784.46 ft today (Oct 19), 6.54 ft below its 791 ft full pool, down 0.13 ft this week.
Texas · North Fork San Gabriel River
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Water level history
About Lake Georgetown
Lake Georgetown is a reservoir on the North Fork San Gabriel River in Texas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 791 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Lake Georgetown's water level
Lake Georgetown sits on the North Fork of the San Gabriel River, about three and a half miles west of downtown Georgetown, behind North San Gabriel Dam. The Corps of Engineers began the rockfill dam in October 1972 and started deliberate impoundment on 3 March 1980. It stands 164 feet high and runs about 6,700 feet including the spillway, with a top elevation of 861 feet. At the 791 foot conservation pool the lake covers roughly 1,300 acres and holds about 38,000 acre-feet, a small reservoir for a 246 square mile watershed of Hill Country limestone. Above 791 sits a flood pool reaching the 834 foot spillway crest, holding about 130,800 acre-feet. That imbalance explains why the level can jump fifteen feet after a single storm, and why Texas Parks and Wildlife lists the annual fluctuation at 5 to 30 feet.
The water below 791 feet is spoken for. The Brazos River Authority holds contracts for all 29,200 acre-feet of conservation storage between 698.99 and 791 feet, and it releases water on request for the cities of Georgetown and Round Rock and the Brushy Creek Municipal Utility District. Because the lake alone cannot carry those customers through a dry year, the authority pumps water from Stillhouse Hollow Lake about 28 miles through the Williamson County Regional Raw Water Line, a 48 inch pipe that discharges below the surface at Lake Georgetown. Pumping turns on when Georgetown drops below 783 feet and shuts off once the lake climbs back above 785. Between May 2020 and June 2021 the line moved about 45,500 acre-feet. When you see the level hover in the low 780s during a drought, that pipeline is usually the reason it is not falling faster.
In a flood the Corps holds water here and lets it out in step with Proctor, Belton, Granger and Stillhouse Hollow, with the goal of keeping the San Gabriel at Georgetown and Laneport and the Little River at Cameron within safe limits. The outlet works can pass about 3,800 cubic feet per second with the lake at conservation pool. The highest level on record is 835.86 feet on 4 March 1992, nearly two feet over the spillway crest. In July 2007 the lake reached 825.93 feet, and in early July 2025 the Corps reported it about 14 feet above full before it began lowering the lake roughly a foot a day. The low end of the Texas Water Development Board record, which has daily elevations since 1995, is 765.56 feet on 21 October 2011. The 2023 drought bottomed near 770.4 feet in October, low but not a record.
Lake Georgetown — frequently asked
What is Lake Georgetown's full pool?
Full, or top of conservation pool, is 791 feet above sea level (NGVD29). At that level the lake covers about 1,300 acres and holds roughly 38,000 acre-feet by the Texas Water Development Board's current survey. Anything above 791 is flood storage, which runs up to the spillway crest at 834 feet, so readings in the 790s and 800s after heavy rain are temporary and the Corps releases that water downstream.
What is the record high level at Lake Georgetown?
835.86 feet on 4 March 1992, according to the Corps of Engineers water control manual. That is almost 45 feet above conservation pool and nearly two feet above the 834 foot spillway crest, with about 136,900 acre-feet in storage. The next highest level in the state's daily record since 1995 is 825.93 feet on 10 July 2007. The gauge on this page only keeps readings since 2023, so its high and low are recent marks, not the lake's records.
What is the lowest Lake Georgetown has been?
In the Texas Water Development Board's daily elevation record, which begins in 1995, the low is 765.56 feet on 21 October 2011, about 25 feet below full and roughly a third full by volume. Other deep drops came in 2009 (766.77 feet), 2000 (767.75 feet) and 1996 (769.40 feet). The 2023 drought took the lake to about 770.4 feet in October, which did not break the record.
Why does Lake Georgetown drop so fast in summer?
The lake is small compared with the demand on it. All 29,200 acre-feet of its water supply storage is contracted through the Brazos River Authority to Georgetown, Round Rock and the Brushy Creek MUD, and the North Fork gets little inflow in a dry summer. Texas Parks and Wildlife puts the normal annual swing at 5 to 30 feet. Pumping from Stillhouse Hollow starts once the lake falls below 783 feet.
How does water get from Stillhouse Hollow to Lake Georgetown?
Through the Williamson County Regional Raw Water Line, a 48 inch pipeline the Brazos River Authority runs about 28 miles from a pump station at Stillhouse Hollow Lake. It switches on when Lake Georgetown falls below 783 feet and off above 785 feet. The water enters underwater for safety and water quality. The three customer utilities pay the operating cost, and an August electric bill topped $400,000.
Where are the boat ramps on Lake Georgetown?
There are three public ramps, each four lanes of concrete: Cedar Breaks Park and Jim Hogg Park, both of which also have a fishing dock, and Russell Park. Entry to all three parks requires a valid pass, an online payment through Recreation.gov, or a camping reservation. Overlook Park, near the dam, has no ramp but is a trailhead.
How long is the Good Water Trail around Lake Georgetown?
The Corps lists the San Gabriel River Trail, known as the Goodwater Loop, at 26 miles of rugged hiking and mountain biking around the lake, finishing on top of North San Gabriel Dam. The International Mountain Biking Association rates it an EPIC trail. Trailheads include Cedar Breaks, Tejas Camp, Russell Park, Overlook Park, the Nature Center, and the stilling basin on Booty's Road.
Flow released below Lake Georgetown
This gauge reads the water leaving the dam, which is the number to check for fishing, paddling and downstream conditions. Live flow is tracked on riverlvl.com.
Other lakes near Lake Georgetown
- Grapevine LakeTX
- Lake Fork ReservoirTX
- Joe Pool LakeTX
- Cooper Lake (Jim Chapman Lake)TX
- Lavon LakeTX
- Lake ConroeTX
See current levels for all 27 Texas lakes and reservoirs →
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