Leesville Lake Water Level
Leesville Lake is at 962.53 ft today (Oct 31), 0.47 ft below its 963 ft full pool, down 0.10 ft this week.
Ohio · McGuire Creek
Full pool is the summer level. Leesville Lake is drawn down about 5 ft to roughly 958 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 Leesville Lake
Leesville Lake is a reservoir on the McGuire Creek in Ohio, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 963 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Leesville Lake's water level
Leesville Lake is not on Conotton Creek itself. The dam sits on McGuire Creek in southwestern Carroll County, near where McGuire Creek meets its North Fork and about 1.4 miles above the point where McGuire empties into Conotton Creek, which runs on to the Tuscarawas. That junction is why the lake is shaped like a C: the south arm follows McGuire Creek and the north arm follows the North Fork and Bear Hole Run. The dam is a rolled earthfill embankment 74 feet high with a crest 1,695 feet long, and it drains 48 square miles. Work began on 13 June 1935, the dam was closed on 15 October 1936, and the project was finished on 22 October 1937, one of the fourteen reservoirs the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District built after its formation by court decree in 1933. On 11 August 1939, the day the Flood Control Act of that year was approved, the structures were deeded to the Corps of Engineers.
The level is run by the Huntington District of the Corps, while the conservancy district owns the surrounding land and runs the marinas, campgrounds and ramps. At summer pool, 963 feet, the lake covers 1,000 acres and holds 4,650 acre-feet. Each winter the Corps pulls it down five feet to 958 to make room for snowmelt and spring rain; the 2025 drawdown began on 1 November and was scheduled over 35 days, with a suggested intermediate refill to 961 by 15 March. Above summer pool the flood control space rises to the spillway crest at 977.5, where the lake would spread to 1,470 acres and hold another 22,550 acre-feet, equal to 8.8 inches of runoff from the watershed. Day to day, two 18-inch siphons in front of the outer gates hold the pool steady, and the three slide gates stay closed until a flood needs to be passed downstream. Water released here takes about 21 hours to reach Dover Dam and 92 hours to reach Marietta.
For anglers, Leesville is a muskellunge lake built on its own fish. Each April Ohio Division of Wildlife crews net adult muskies from the lake, take and fertilize the eggs, and raise the young at the London and Kincaid hatcheries for about six months before returning them in the fall. The conservancy district says stocking has happened almost every year since 1965; in September 2023 about 1,100 juveniles went in at the North Fork Marina launch. In 2024 anglers registered 51 Fish Ohio muskies of 40 inches or longer from Leesville, second among Ohio lakes only to West Branch Reservoir. The lake has a 10 horsepower limit, and no road circles its 27 miles of shoreline, so most of it is seen from a boat. Two marinas, one on each fork, anchor the public access.
Leesville Lake — frequently asked
What is Leesville Lake's full pool?
Summer conservation pool is 963 feet, when the lake covers about 1,000 acres and stores 4,650 acre-feet. Winter pool is five feet lower at 958. The top of the flood control pool is the spillway crest at 977.5 feet, where the lake would spread to 1,470 acres. The top of the dam itself, after a 1984 parapet wall was added, is 995.1 feet.
Why is Leesville Lake low in the winter?
The Corps of Engineers lowers it every winter from 963 to 958 feet to create extra room for snowmelt and spring rain, and the conservancy district uses the low water for shoreline work. The 2025 drawdown began on 1 November with releases spread over 35 days; the 2024 drawdown began on 8 November.
When does Leesville Lake refill in the spring?
The conservancy district's schedule for 2025-26 suggests an intermediate refill to 961 feet, two feet short of summer pool, by 15 March 2026. The district's same notice says levels are expected to be back to normal by February, so the timing varies with the year. Heavy spring rain can also lift the lake above 963 while the Corps holds floodwater and releases it through the three slide gates; the 1948 flood peaked 6.6 feet above summer pool.
What is the record high at Leesville Lake?
The pool of record in the Corps water control manual is 969.6 feet, set during the April 1948 flood. That is 6.6 feet above summer pool and still almost eight feet below the spillway crest at 977.5, so even the largest flood on record stayed below the uncontrolled spillway. The Corps also lists March 1913, August 1935, January 1937, early 1959, February 1979, August 1980 and January 2005 among the notable floods in the basin. The Recent high in the gauge panel on this page, 969.74 feet in 2026, comes from the live gauge and is not reflected in the manual's figure.
What river is Leesville Lake on?
McGuire Creek. The dam stands on McGuire Creek near its junction with the North Fork of McGuire Creek, about 1.4 miles above its confluence with Conotton Creek. Conotton Creek is part of the Tuscarawas River system, which is why the site listed Conotton Creek. Water released from Leesville takes roughly 21 hours to reach Dover Dam and about 92 hours to reach Marietta.
What is the horsepower limit on Leesville Lake?
Ten horsepower. The conservancy district lists it among the lake's rules. There are two public launch ramps, an accessible kayak launch and an accessible fishing pier, with the North Fork and South Fork marinas on the two arms. The South Fork campground is run by the district and the North Fork campground is privately operated.
Is Leesville Lake good for muskie fishing?
It is one of the best in Ohio. State fisheries crews collect their muskie broodstock from Leesville each April, and the lake is restocked most falls with 10 to 12 inch fingerlings. In 2024 anglers reported 51 Fish Ohio muskies, fish of 40 inches or longer, from the lake, second only to West Branch Reservoir. The state record, 55.1 pounds, came from nearby Piedmont Lake in 1972, not Leesville.
Other lakes near Leesville Lake
- Paint Creek LakeOH
- Dillon LakeOH
- Piedmont LakeOH
- Delaware LakeOH
- Pleasant Hill LakeOH
- Deer Creek LakeOH
See current levels for all 16 Ohio lakes and reservoirs →
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