Rough River Lake water level — Kentucky
Rough River Lake in Kentucky was last measured at 490.35 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 3:00 AM (UTC-05:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−12.0 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- 97,557 acre-ft
- Recent trend
- ↓Falling
−12.0 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 03318005 · USACE LRL/Rough, 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 1959 (2 tracked series for this project).
The dam behind Rough River Lake
Rough River Lake is held back by Rough River Dam (also recorded as Rough River Lake) , an earthfill embankment, holding the pool back by sheer mass and an impervious core rather than by the strength of concrete , standing 132 ft high and running 1,590 ft along its crest , built across ROUGH RIVER in Grayson County , near FALLS OF ROUGH . It was completed in 1959 , 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 65 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 5,100 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 334,400 acre-ft against a normal storage of 90,200 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 22,000 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record KY03012 , 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 Rough River Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nolin Lake | KY | 515.34 ft | 44 km |
| Barren River Lake | KY | 552.60 ft | 88 km |
| Patoka Lake | IN | 540.75 ft | 92 km |
| Green River Lake | KY | 675.24 ft | 110 km |
| Taylorsville Lake | KY | 547.04 ft | 114 km |
| Wolf Creek Dam | KY | 703.70 ft | 146 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Rough River Lake?
- As of Aug 31, 2026, 3:00 AM (UTC-05:00), the pool elevation was 490.35 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Rough 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 03318005 · USACE LRL/Rough, 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.