Shelbyville Pool water level — Illinois
Shelbyville Pool in Illinois was last measured at 600.52 ft (datum NAVD88), as of Aug 30, 2026, 1:00 PM (UTC+00:00) (USACE CWMS Data). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−4.0 ft).
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- Not reported
- Recent trend
- ↓Falling
−4.0 ft over the trend window
Recent trend
Readings this station published between Jun 2, 2026 and Aug 30, 2026 — a 89-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 MVS/Lk Shelbyville-Kaskaskia, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →
The dam behind Shelbyville Pool
Shelbyville Pool is held back by Shelbyville Dam (also recorded as Lake Shelbyville) , a concrete structure , standing 138 ft high and running 3,025 ft along its crest , built across KASKASKIA RIVER in Shelby County , near SHELBYVILLE . It was completed in 1970 , and is owned by USACE - St. Louis District (a federal owner) , to a design credited to CEMVS.
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;other;navigation;fish and wildlife pond;recreation;water supply.
It is founded on rock;soil, with a earth core. Its spillway is gated, so the operator can hold the pool above the spillway crest and meter what leaves. The spillway opening is 156 ft wide. Its outlet works use slide (sluice gate)2;tainter (radial)3.
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 11,100 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 1,026,546 acre-ft against a normal storage of 207,832 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 162,500 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record IL00118 , filed by US Army Corps of Engineers — 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 →)
Other gauges at this site
2 more gauges report at this same structure. Their readings are listed here rather than on a separate page, because they measure the same water.
| Gauge | Source | Elevation | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville | USACE MVS/Shelbyville-Robinson Cr | 551.24 ft (NAVD88) | — |
| Shelbyville Tw | USACE MVS/Shelbyville TW-Kaskaskia | 541.35 ft (NAVD88) | — |
How Shelbyville Pool compares nearby
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelbyville Tw | IL | 541.35 ft | 0 km |
| Shelbyville | IL | 551.24 ft | 10 km |
| Cowden | IL | 505.62 ft | 21 km |
| Allenville | IL | 618.74 ft | 24 km |
| Cooks Mill | IL | 622.44 ft | 37 km |
| Lovington | IL | 635.21 ft | 37 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Shelbyville Pool?
- As of Aug 30, 2026, 1:00 PM (UTC+00:00), the pool elevation was 600.52 ft (datum NAVD88). See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Shelbyville Pool 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 MVS/Lk Shelbyville-Kaskaskia, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in Illinois
See every lake tracked in Illinois, or read the methodology behind these figures.