Friant Dam water level — California
Friant Dam in California was last measured at 508.83 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 29, 2026, 7:00 AM (UTC+00:00) (USACE CWMS Data). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−13.8 ft).
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- 242,572 acre-ft
- Recent trend
- ↓Falling
−13.8 ft over the trend window
Recent trend
Readings this station published between Jun 3, 2026 and Aug 29, 2026 — a 87-day window — downsampled for display.
Data: USGS Water Services (waterservices.usgs.gov) and USACE CWMS Data (cwms-data.usace.army.mil), retrieved 2026-08-31. Both public domain (a work of the U.S. Government, 17 U.S.C. §105).
Source: USACE SPK/Friant Dam, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →
The dam behind Friant Dam
Friant Dam is held back by Friant Dam (also recorded as Millerton Lake) , a concrete structure , standing 319 ft high and running 3,488 ft along its crest , built across SAN JOAQUIN RIVER in Madera County , near FRESNO . It was completed in 1942 , and is owned by BUREAU OF RECLAMATION (a federal owner) .
Its recorded primary purpose is flood risk reduction — the pool is drawn down between storms so there is empty space waiting for the next flood, which is why this level can fall in dry weather and climb sharply after rain . It also serves flood risk reduction;irrigation;recreation;water supply.
Its spillway is ungated: once the pool reaches the crest, water leaves on its own and the operator cannot hold it back. The spillway opening is 0 ft wide.
NID classes it high hazard potential. That describes what a failure would cost downstream — loss of life would be expected — and says nothing about how likely a failure is, or what condition the dam is in.
At its normal pool the reservoir covers about 4,900 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 520,500 acre-ft against a normal storage of 520,500 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 0 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record CA10154 , filed by Bureau of Reclamation — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain. Water levels above come from USACE CWMS Data and are a separate source. (How this dam was matched to this gauge →)
How Friant Dam compares nearby
4 of 6 nearby lakes with a current trend are also falling right now.
Nearby lakes
The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.
| Lake | State | Level | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Dry Creek Dam | CA | 400.00 ft | 14 km |
| Hensley Lake-Pool | CA | 546.20 ft | 20 km |
| Eastman Lake-Pool | CA | 466.66 ft | 39 km |
| Mariposa-Pool | CA | 367.88 ft | 51 km |
| Owens-Pool | CA | 348.53 ft | 52 km |
| Bear-Pool | CA | 343.97 ft | 62 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Friant Dam?
- As of Aug 29, 2026, 7:00 AM (UTC+00:00), the pool elevation was 508.83 ft (datum NGVD29). See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Friant Dam full right now?
- Its managing agency does not publish a %-of-conservation-pool-full figure for this lake, so we show the bare level rather than estimate one.
- Where does this data come from?
- From USACE SPK/Friant Dam, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in California
See every lake tracked in California, or read the methodology behind these figures.