Lake Shelbyville Water Level
Lake Shelbyville is at 599.02 ft today (Oct 31), 0.68 ft below its 599.7 ft full pool, down 0.10 ft this week.
Illinois · Kaskaskia River
Full pool is the summer level. Lake Shelbyville is drawn down about 5.7 ft to roughly 594 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 Lake Shelbyville
Lake Shelbyville is a reservoir on the Kaskaskia River in Illinois, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 599.7 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Lake Shelbyville's water level
Lake Shelbyville is the upper of the two Corps of Engineers reservoirs on the Kaskaskia River, with Carlyle Lake the other one farther downstream near Vandalia. The St. Louis District runs it under the Flood Control Act of 1958, and its job list is long: flood control, water supply, downstream water quality, fish and wildlife, recreation, and storage to augment stream flow. Work started in May 1963 and the Corps counts the project complete in 1970, when the gates closed. The earthen dam at Shelbyville rises about 108 feet above the old riverbed to a crest at 643 feet, and with the spillway it runs about 3,025 feet long. At its normal pool of 599.7 feet the lake covers 11,100 acres and stretches about 20 miles up the Kaskaskia and West Okaw arms toward Sullivan and Bethany, averaging around 19 feet deep with a maximum near 67.
The number that explains this lake is 474,000 acre-feet. That is the flood storage stacked between the 599.7 foot recreation pool and the top of the flood control pool at 626.5 feet, where the lake would spread across 25,300 acres. Above that sits an induced surcharge pool to 630.5 feet. Inside the normal pool, the Corps allocates 155,000 acre-feet to navigation storage and 25,000 to water supply, with an inactive pool below 573 feet held for silt. In practice this means summer pool is a target, not a promise. Heavy spring and early summer rain routinely pushes the lake ten feet or more above normal, and the Corps then releases water as conditions downstream allow, often over weeks. Each winter the lake is lowered to a 594 foot winter pool, about six feet down, to make room for spring runoff. The Corps master plan notes that four of the ten highest pools on record have come since 2005, including January 2016.
High water is the event locals remember here. The lake reached 609.13 feet in April 2013, crested near 612.5 in May 2017 at more than eleven feet over summer pool, stood at 610.02 in June 2019, and hit 611.14 in late May 2020. In 2026 it sat at 609.74 on June 27, about ten feet up, and stayed roughly nine feet high into late July before falling back to summer pool by early fall. When that happens, secondary ramps, low campsites, beaches and trails such as the Chief Illini close, bridge clearances shrink and debris floats in the channels; the Corps added high water ramps so the lake stays reachable at any level. On the fishing side, Illinois DNR stocks walleye and sauger, some raised in the Fin and Feathers Nursery Pond, while crappie are the lake's steadiest fishery. Muskie, once a draw, have declined despite annual stocking and are now under study.
Lake Shelbyville — frequently asked
What is Lake Shelbyville's full pool?
Normal summer pool, which the Corps calls the joint use or recreation pool, is 599.7 feet above sea level (NGVD). At that level the lake covers about 11,100 acres. Full pool here is not the top of the reservoir, though. The flood control pool runs up to 626.5 feet, nearly 27 feet higher, and could cover 25,300 acres.
Why is Lake Shelbyville so high?
Shelbyville is a flood control reservoir, so after heavy rain in its 1,054 square mile drainage the Corps stores runoff rather than passing it downstream. The lake can sit ten or more feet above summer pool for weeks while releases are metered out as downstream conditions allow. In late June 2026 it was 609.74 feet with outflow at only 730 cubic feet per second, and it took until early fall to return to 599.7.
What is Lake Shelbyville's winter pool and drawdown?
Winter pool is 594 feet, about six feet below the 599.7 foot summer pool. The Corps lowers the lake in the off season to free up storage for late winter and spring runoff, when most of the lake's big swings happen. Low water exposes river channels, flats and stumps that are hidden in summer, so boaters running back into coves at winter pool should stay in the marked channels.
What is the record high level at Lake Shelbyville?
The Corps has not published the all time peak in the sources we checked, so we do not list one. Its 2016 master plan says four of the ten highest pools on record came after 2005, including January 2016. The gauge on this page covers only about six recent years; its highest reading is 610.07 feet in 2026, and the low is 593.66 feet in 2025.
How high can Lake Shelbyville go before the spillway?
The flood control pool tops out at 626.5 feet, about 27 feet above summer pool, and holds 474,000 acre-feet of floodwater. Above that the Corps can use an induced surcharge pool to 630.5 feet. The dam crest is at 643 feet. Recent floods, with crests between about 609 and 612.5 feet, have used well under half of that range.
What closes at Lake Shelbyville during high water?
Closures depend on the level. Around ten feet above summer pool the Corps has closed secondary boat ramps, Whitley Creek launch, beaches such as Coal Creek and Wilborn Creek, and trails like the Chief Illini, Coon Creek and Okaw Bluff. Main ramps usually stay open, and high water ramps were built so the lake can be reached at any level. Expect lower bridge clearances and floating debris.
How is the fishing at Lake Shelbyville?
Illinois DNR rates crappie as a strong fishery, and walleye are stocked yearly alongside natural reproduction. Sauger are raised in the Fin and Feathers Nursery Pond; 256,000 were stocked in 2014. Muskie were once a major draw, with 164 catches logged from 1987 to 2006, but catches have fallen despite annual stocking and University of Illinois researchers are now studying why. Below the dam, flatheads near 60 pounds have been documented.
Other lakes near Lake Shelbyville
- Carlyle LakeIL
- Rend LakeIL
- Lake BarkleyKY/TN
- Barren River LakeKY
- Blue Springs LakeMO
- Bull Shoals LakeAR/MO
See current levels for all 3 Illinois lakes and reservoirs →
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