Wright Patman Lake Water Level
Wright Patman Lake is at 224.97 ft today (Oct 19), 2.53 ft below its 227.5 ft full pool, down 0.16 ft this week.
Texas · Sulphur River
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Water level history
About Wright Patman Lake
Wright Patman Lake is a reservoir on the Sulphur River in Texas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 227.5 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Wright Patman Lake's water level
Wright Patman Lake does not have one normal level. Since 1990 the Corps has run it on a seasonal conservation pool: 227.5 feet from April 1 to June 1, 225.0 feet through the summer to October 5, 221.2 feet until November 1, and 220.6 feet through the winter. Anything above the target for the date is flood storage, and the Fort Worth District releases it down the Sulphur River as downstream conditions allow. That is why a late September reading of 225.3 feet, which looks low against the 227.5 spring mark, is actually a few tenths into the flood pool, and why the lake is drawn toward 221 feet each fall. Above the conservation pool sits an enormous reserve: 2,509,000 acre-feet of flood storage up to the spillway crest at 259.5 feet, where the lake would spread across 119,700 acres instead of roughly 20,000. The dam itself is an earthen embankment about three and a half miles long, nine miles southwest of Texarkana, controlling 3,400 square miles, about 91 percent of the Sulphur River basin above the Red River.
The lake has used a large share of that reserve. On 10 May 2016 the TWDB daily record reached 254.53 feet, about 27 feet above the spring pool and five feet below the spillway crest. It had already broken the June 1990 mark of 252.13 feet that January. During that flood the Corps held releases near 10,000 cubic feet per second for weeks, then cut them to 6,000 to limit flows on the Red River at Shreveport, and parks, ramps and campgrounds around the lake closed. Other big years in the record include 2001 (about 251 feet in March) and 2009 (near 248). At the other end, the lake dipped to 222.13 feet on 3 April 2026, its lowest reading since 2006, then rose to 231.6 feet by late June. Those are the highs and lows in the TWDB daily series, which begins in 1986 and has gaps before 1997; it is not a complete record back to impoundment.
The project was authorized in 1946 as Texarkana Dam and Reservoir. Clearing began on 20 August 1948, the Sulphur River was routed through the outlet works on 2 July 1953, and the gates closed for permanent impoundment on 27 June 1956. President Nixon signed the bill renaming it for Congressman Wright Patman on 15 December 1973. Besides flood control it is the water supply for both Texarkanas: the City of Texarkana holds a state right to 180,000 acre-feet a year, and International Paper has a long term contract with Texarkana Water Utilities for 118,000 acre-feet of that for industrial use. A 1968 contract with the Army set an ultimate rule curve topping out at 228.64 feet, with the band from 224.89 to 228.64 feet reserved for municipal and industrial supply, and the Corps has been studying its environmental effects since 2021. Larger pool raises were examined as an alternative to the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir; a 240 foot pool would flood about 3,800 acres of the White Oak Creek Wildlife Management Area's bottomland hardwoods.
Wright Patman Lake — frequently asked
What is Wright Patman Lake's full pool?
It depends on the date. The conservation pool follows a seasonal schedule: 227.5 feet from April 1 to June 1, 225.0 feet from June 1 to October 5, 221.2 feet to November 1, and 220.6 feet from November 1 to April 1. The Corps lists 220.6 feet as the conservation pool and 227.5 feet as the recreation pool. Water above the seasonal target is flood storage, which extends to the spillway crest at 259.5 feet.
Why does Wright Patman Lake drop in the fall?
The target elevation steps down on a fixed calendar. After holding 225.0 feet all summer, the conservation pool falls to 221.2 feet on October 5 and to 220.6 feet on November 1, where it stays until spring. Water above those marks counts as flood storage, so the Corps releases it into the Sulphur River. The lake is not in drought just because it reads several feet below the 227.5 foot spring level.
What is the record high at Wright Patman Lake?
The highest daily reading in the TWDB record is 254.53 feet on 10 May 2016, about 27 feet above the spring pool and five feet under the 259.5 foot spillway crest. That flood first broke the June 1990 record of 252.13 feet in January 2016. Releases ran near 10,000 cubic feet per second before the Corps cut them to 6,000 to protect the Red River near Shreveport. The gauge on this page only keeps about six years of readings, so its high and low are recent marks, not these records.
How low has Wright Patman Lake been recently?
On 3 April 2026 the lake fell to 222.13 feet, the lowest daily reading since 2006, just as the spring target rose to 227.5 feet. Rain refilled it quickly, and it peaked near 231.6 feet at the end of June. The lowest value in TWDB's daily series is 220.39 feet in December 1989, but that series starts in 1986 and has gaps, so it is not an all time record.
Who uses water from Wright Patman Lake?
The City of Texarkana holds a Texas water right for 180,000 acre-feet a year and supplies Texarkana, Texas, and Texarkana, Arkansas. International Paper has a long term contract with Texarkana Water Utilities for 118,000 acre-feet a year for its industrial operations, though a state study found it diverted an average of about 36,800 acre-feet a year between 1994 and 2007.
Will the Corps raise Wright Patman Lake's level?
A 1968 contract between Texarkana and the Army set an ultimate rule curve reaching 228.64 feet, storing water supply between 224.89 and 228.64 feet. The Corps began public scoping on that change in 2021, funded by Riverbend Water Resources District. Operating at or above a flat 228.64 foot pool would reallocate more than 50,000 acre-feet of flood storage and would need approval from Congress.
How is the fishing at Wright Patman Lake?
Texas Parks and Wildlife rates white bass and crappie as excellent, with white crappie dominant. Blue, channel and flathead catfish, largemouth bass and sunfish rate good. Cover is mostly standing timber, brush, creek channels and riprap, plus five artificial fish reefs findable by GPS. Aquatic plants cover less than 10 percent of the lake, mostly chara, American lotus, black willow and buttonbush.
Flow released below Wright Patman 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 Wright Patman Lake
See current levels for all 27 Texas lakes and reservoirs →
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