Lake Texoma Water Level
Texas & Oklahoma · Red River
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Water level history
About Lake Texoma
Lake Texoma is a reservoir on the Red River in Texas & Oklahoma, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's one of the most-visited Corps lakes in the country. Its full summer pool sits at 617 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Lake Texoma's water level
Lake Texoma straddles the Texas and Oklahoma line behind Denison Dam on the Red River, and it is one of the busiest Corps of Engineers lakes in the country. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tulsa District, operates it for flood control, hydropower and water supply, with recreation added as an official purpose in 1988. Its conservation pool sits around 617 feet above sea level, and above that the Corps keeps a large flood pool reaching up to 645 feet, so unlike a steady utility lake, Texoma is designed to swing several feet as it catches Red River and Washita River floodwater and then lets it back down.
Because that flood pool is so big, Texoma's biggest moves come from storms rather than a seasonal schedule. When heavy rain hits the basin the lake can climb quickly toward, and occasionally over, the top of its flood pool: the spillway has actually run five times, in 1957, 1990, 2007, and twice in the wet spring of 2015. That 2015 flood pushed Texoma to its record high of 645.72 feet on June 1, breaking the old mark of 644.76 feet from May 1990. After each event the Corps releases the stored water downstream over the following weeks, and the lake settles back toward conservation pool.
Texoma is best known to anglers as one of the few inland lakes where striped bass reproduce naturally, a quirk of the Red River's natural salinity that supports a famous striper fishery. With roughly 89,000 acres of water, 54 Corps parks, a dozen marinas, and more than two dozen resorts spread across towns like Denison, Sherman, Durant and Kingston, the lake draws millions of visits a year. Because so much of that activity happens on ramps and docks set for conservation pool, a flood year that shoves the lake toward 645 feet can close low-lying facilities until it recedes.
Lake Texoma — frequently asked
Why does Lake Texoma's water level rise and fall?
Texoma is a Corps flood-control lake behind Denison Dam. It is held near a conservation pool of about 617 feet, and it rises into a flood pool reaching up to 645 feet when it catches Red River and Washita River floodwater, which the Corps then releases downstream over the following weeks.
What are conservation pool and flood pool for Lake Texoma?
Conservation pool is about 617 feet above sea level, the level the lake is normally held near. The flood pool extends up to 645 feet, and the record high was 645.72 feet on June 1, 2015.
How often does Lake Texoma flood over its spillway?
The spillway has operated five times: in 1957, 1990, 2007, and twice during the wet spring of 2015. The 2015 flooding set the current record high of 645.72 feet, topping the 644.76-foot mark from May 1990.
Why is Lake Texoma high after heavy rain?
Its large flood pool is designed to capture runoff from the Red River basin, so the lake rises quickly after big storms. The Corps stores that water and releases it downstream over the following weeks, which is why storms, not a seasonal schedule, drive Texoma's biggest swings.
Why does Lake Texoma have striped bass when most inland lakes don't?
The Red River carries enough natural salinity that striped bass can spawn successfully in Texoma, making it one of the few inland lakes with a self-sustaining striper population rather than one kept going only by stocking.
What is Lake Texoma used for?
It provides flood control, hydropower, and water supply, and since 1988 recreation is an official purpose too. With about 89,000 acres, 54 Corps parks, a dozen marinas, and more than two dozen resorts, it is a major destination for striped-bass fishing and boating on the Texas and Oklahoma border.
Other lakes near Lake Texoma
- Lake Altus-LugertOK
- Amistad ReservoirTX
- Arcadia LakeOK
- Belton LakeTX
- Benbrook LakeTX
- Broken Bow LakeOK
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