Lake Havasu Water Level
Arizona & California · Colorado River
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Water level history
About Lake Havasu
Lake Havasu is a reservoir on the Colorado River in Arizona & California, operated by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Its full summer pool sits at 450 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (RISE) and update daily, typically on a one- to two-week reporting lag.
Understanding Lake Havasu's water level
Lake Havasu is the odd one out among the big Colorado River reservoirs: while Lake Mead and Lake Powell rise and fall by dozens of feet with drought, Havasu is held almost steady. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built Parker Dam to create it, and the lake's primary job is to serve as a diversion pool, a stable body of water kept near an elevation of about 450 feet above sea level so it can be pumped into two major aqueducts. It is less a savings account than a steady tank feeding the pumps.
Those two straws are the Central Arizona Project aqueduct, which carries water toward Phoenix and Tucson, and the Colorado River Aqueduct, which supplies Southern California. Because Havasu's purpose is to maintain a reliable pumping pool rather than to store water for years, Reclamation keeps its level within a narrow band, passing water through rather than banking it. That is why Havasu can look full even in years when the reservoirs upstream and downstream are dropping dramatically.
That dependable blue water, set against the desert, is what turned Lake Havasu City into a major boating and tourism destination drawing on the order of a million visitors a year. The steady level supports marinas, waterfront development and a busy recreation scene, and anglers fish for largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass. For visitors, the useful thing to know is that Havasu is engineered to stay near its target elevation, so it rarely shows the big swings that make headlines at Mead and Powell.
Lake Havasu — frequently asked
Why does Lake Havasu stay so full when Lake Mead and Lake Powell are dropping?
Havasu is a diversion pool, not a multi-year storage reservoir. Its job is to hold a steady level so water can be pumped into two aqueducts, so Reclamation keeps it near its target elevation and passes water through rather than storing it. That is why it can look full even when Mead and Powell fall dramatically.
What is full pool for Lake Havasu?
Lake Havasu is held near an elevation of about 450 feet above sea level. Because it operates as a steady diversion pool behind Parker Dam, it normally stays close to that level rather than swinging widely.
What does Lake Havasu supply water to?
It feeds two major aqueducts: the Central Arizona Project aqueduct, which carries Colorado River water toward Phoenix and Tucson, and the Colorado River Aqueduct, which supplies Southern California. Maintaining a stable pumping pool is the lake's primary purpose.
Does Lake Havasu get drawn down in a drought like other Colorado River reservoirs?
Not in the same way. Havasu is kept near a steady level for pumping rather than being drained to store or supply water over multiple years, so it does not show the deep, long declines seen at Mead and Powell during drought.
What fish are in Lake Havasu?
The lake is known for largemouth, smallmouth and striped bass, and its steady, clear water makes it a popular year-round fishing and boating destination.
What is Lake Havasu used for?
Its main purpose is to store and divert Colorado River water into the Central Arizona Project and Colorado River aqueducts, and it is also a major recreation lake anchoring Lake Havasu City, drawing about a million visitors a year for boating and fishing.
Other lakes near Lake Havasu
- Lake BerryessaCA
- Don Pedro ReservoirCA
- Folsom LakeCA
- Lake MeadNV/AZ
- New Melones LakeCA
- Lake OrovilleCA
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