Nolin River Lake Water Level
Nolin River Lake is at 514.58 ft today (Oct 6), 0.42 ft below its 515 ft full pool, down 0.18 ft this week.
Kentucky · Nolin River
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Water level history
About Nolin River Lake
Nolin River Lake is a reservoir on the Nolin River in Kentucky, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 515 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Nolin River Lake's water level
Nolin River Lake exists to catch floods, and nearly everything about its level follows from that. The Louisville District of the Corps of Engineers built it under the Flood Control Act of 1938: the outlet tower went up between 1959 and 1961, the dam and spillway were finished in May 1963, and the project went into full operation on March 4, 1963. Everything that falls on its 703 square mile watershed leaves through a single conduit, and gates in the control tower are lowered to hold water back when the Nolin and Green rivers downstream are high, then raised to empty the stored water once they drop. The Corps credits the dam with preventing more than $115 million in flood damage through 2014, against a construction cost of $14.5 million. Summer pool is 515 feet. Above that sits the flood pool, which runs up to the uncontrolled spillway crest at 560 feet and holds about 439,000 acre feet, far more than the 170,000 acre feet the lake contains at summer pool. The top of the dam is at 581 feet.
The seasonal swing is large and it runs on a set schedule. The Corps guide curve holds winter pool at 492 feet from December 1 to March 15, raises the lake to 515 feet by April 15, holds summer pool until September 15, and then draws it back down to 492 by December 1. That 23 foot drawdown shrinks the lake from roughly 5,800 surface acres in summer to under 2,900 in winter, so boaters should check the level before launching in the cold months. Winter pool has not always been this high. When the reservoir first began operating in 1963, minimum pool was 480 feet, reached on March 7 of that year, twelve feet lower than today. Because the fall drawdown is deliberate, a lake near 492 in January is on schedule rather than a sign of drought.
Big rain can push the lake far above its summer level, and it stays up for weeks because the Corps can only release what the rivers below can carry. The highest reading in the Corps online record, which goes back to 2002, is 559.7 feet on May 7, 2011, just 0.3 feet shy of the spillway crest. The April 2025 flood came close: the lake climbed from 519.6 feet on April 1 to a peak of 556.29 feet on April 17, and the Corps held releases to the minimum in its water control manual while the Green River basin drained. That spring also swamped Nolin Lake State Park, which was underwater for weeks after flooding in February and April. The park lost its electrical, water and wastewater systems along with its campground and beach, closed indefinitely, and was not scheduled to reopen until August 2026. Below the dam the Nolin runs about 7.5 miles from the Tailwater Recreation Area to the Green River inside Mammoth Cave National Park, and the Park Service warns paddlers that release schedules from the dam can change water levels there quickly.
Nolin River Lake — frequently asked
What is Nolin River Lake's full pool?
Summer pool is 515 feet above sea level, held from mid April to mid September. That is the top of the conservation pool, not the top of the reservoir. Flood storage continues above it to the spillway crest at 560 feet, so a reading in the 520s or 530s after heavy rain means the Corps is storing floodwater, not that the lake is overfull.
When is Nolin River Lake drawn down, and when does it fill?
The Corps guide curve starts lowering the lake from 515 feet on September 15 and reaches winter pool of 492 feet by December 1. The lake sits at winter pool until March 15, then fills back to 515 by April 15. Actual levels can run above the curve in wet stretches, but the fall drop and spring rise happen every year.
What is the record high at Nolin River Lake?
The highest level in the Corps online record, which begins in 2002, is 559.7 feet on May 7, 2011, only 0.3 feet below the spillway crest. The second highest is 556.29 feet on April 17, 2025. Levels before 2002 are not in that record, so an earlier flood may have come close but could not be confirmed.
Why is Nolin River Lake so low in winter?
The drawdown is intentional. Each fall the Corps lowers the lake 23 feet to winter pool at 492 feet to make room for winter and spring runoff, cutting the surface area roughly in half. Readings around 492 between December and mid March are normal. The lowest levels in recent years, 491.86 feet in December 2020 and again in December 2025, were ordinary winter pool.
How high did Nolin River Lake get in the April 2025 flood?
The lake peaked at 556.29 feet on April 17, 2025, about 41 feet over summer pool and less than four feet below the spillway crest. It had already reached 542 feet in February. The Corps held outflow to minimum release while downstream rivers were flooding, and the lake did not fall back to the low 530s until mid May.
Is Nolin Lake State Park open?
The state park, on the northern edge of Mammoth Cave National Park, closed after the 2025 floods left it underwater for weeks and damaged its buildings, trails, beach, campground, and electrical and wastewater systems. Kentucky State Parks announced a reopening date of August 7, 2026. The Corps runs its own campgrounds on the lake at Dog Creek, Moutardier and Wax.
What is the fishing like at Nolin River Lake?
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife rates largemouth bass, crappie and white bass highly here. White bass run in late March to mid April, and hybrid striped bass gather in the lower lake in late summer and at winter pool. Largemouth run up to 18 inches with occasional fish to 22. Biologists note low oxygen below 15 feet from mid June through September.
Flow released below Nolin River Lake
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 Nolin River Lake
- Paintsville LakeKY
- Laurel River LakeKY
- Rough River LakeKY
- Kentucky LakeKY/TN
- Yatesville LakeKY
- Green River LakeKY
See current levels for all 15 Kentucky lakes and reservoirs →
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