Barren River Lake water level — Kentucky
Barren River Lake in Kentucky was last measured at 552.60 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:30 AM (UTC-05:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been rising (+0.2 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- 252,820 acre-ft
- Recent trend
- ↑Rising
+0.2 ft over the trend window
Recent trend
Readings this station published between Jun 2, 2026 and Aug 31, 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: USGS site 03312900 · USACE LRL/Barren, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →
About this gauge's record
This site's drainage basin covers approximately 942 sq mi of contributing watershed. USACE's continuous elevation record for this project begins in 2003 (2 tracked series for this project).
The dam behind Barren River Lake
Barren River Lake is held back by Barren River Dam (also recorded as Barren River Lake) , an earthfill embankment, holding the pool back by sheer mass and an impervious core rather than by the strength of concrete , standing 146 ft high and running 3,970 ft along its crest , built across BARREN RIVER in Allen County , near BOWLING GREEN . It was completed in 1964 , and is owned by USACE - Louisville District (a federal owner) , to a design credited to CELRL.
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;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 300 ft wide. Its outlet works use uncontrolled0;vertical lift3.
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 10,000 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 815,150 acre-ft against a normal storage of 190,320 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 102,100 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record KY03009 , filed by US Army Corps of Engineers — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain. Water levels above come from USGS Water Services and are a separate source. (How this dam was matched to this gauge →)
How Barren River Lake compares nearby
1 of 6 nearby lakes with a current trend are also rising right now.
Nearby lakes
The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.
| Lake | State | Level | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nolin Lake | KY | 515.34 ft | 44 km |
| Cordell Hull Lake | TN | 504.18 ft | 69 km |
| Dale Hollow Lake | TN | 642.87 ft | 72 km |
| Green River Lake | KY | 675.24 ft | 80 km |
| Old Hickory Lake | TN | 445.31 ft | 81 km |
| Wolf Creek Dam | KY | 703.70 ft | 87 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Barren River Lake?
- As of Aug 31, 2026, 2:30 AM (UTC-05:00), the pool elevation was 552.60 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Barren River Lake 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 USGS site 03312900 · USACE LRL/Barren, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in Kentucky
See every lake tracked in Kentucky, or read the methodology behind these figures.