Nolin Lake water level — Kentucky
Nolin Lake in Kentucky was last measured at 515.34 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 3:10 AM (UTC-05:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−0.1 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- 172,126 acre-ft
- Recent trend
- ↓Falling
−0.1 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 03310900 · USACE LRL/Nolin, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →
About this gauge's record
USACE's continuous elevation record for this project begins in 2003 (2 tracked series for this project).
The dam behind Nolin Lake
Nolin Lake is held back by Nolin River Dam (also recorded as Nolin Lake) , a rockfill embankment — quarried rock placed in compacted layers around a sealing core , standing 167 ft high and running 980 ft along its crest , built across NOLIN RIVER in Edmonson County , near KYROCK . It was completed in 1963 , 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.
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 5,790 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 609,400 acre-ft against a normal storage of 170,140 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 48,000 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record KY03011 , 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 Nolin Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rough River Lake | KY | 490.35 ft | 44 km |
| Barren River Lake | KY | 552.60 ft | 44 km |
| Green River Lake | KY | 675.24 ft | 80 km |
| Wolf Creek Dam | KY | 703.70 ft | 108 km |
| Dale Hollow Lake | TN | 642.87 ft | 109 km |
| Cordell Hull Lake | TN | 504.18 ft | 113 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Nolin Lake?
- As of Aug 31, 2026, 3:10 AM (UTC-05:00), the pool elevation was 515.34 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Nolin 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 03310900 · USACE LRL/Nolin, 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.