Bayou Darbonne Lake water level — Louisiana
Bayou Darbonne Lake in Louisiana was last measured at 79.71 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:45 AM (UTC-05:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−0.3 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- Not reported
- Recent trend
- ↓Falling
−0.3 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 07366364, 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 1,607 sq mi of contributing watershed.
The dam behind Bayou Darbonne Lake
Bayou Darbonne Lake is held back by Bayou Darbonne Dam and Reservoir (also recorded as T.T. Fields Dam and Spillway) , an earthfill embankment, holding the pool back by sheer mass and an impervious core rather than by the strength of concrete , standing 54 ft high and running 2,450 ft along its crest , built across Bayou Darbonne in Union County , near Farmerville . It was completed in 1961 and modified in 2013 , and is owned by Bayou DArbonne Watershed District (a local government owner) , to a design credited to LA Dept of Public Works and The Riley Company.
Its recorded primary purpose is water supply — delivering water to its customers comes first, so drawdown here follows demand as much as it follows rainfall .
It is founded on soil, with a earth core. 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 799 ft wide. Its outlet works use slide (sluice gate);tainter (radial).
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. Its most recent condition assessment was fair: sound under normal loading, though a rare or extreme event could expose a deficiency. That assessment is dated 11/12/2024.
At its normal pool the reservoir covers about 15,250 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 240,000 acre-ft against a normal storage of 130,000 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 93,500 cubic feet per second. It is regulated by LA DOTD.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record LA00015 , filed by Louisiana — 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 Bayou Darbonne 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felsenthal Lock and Dam Lower | AR | 50.52 ft | 43 km |
| Felsenthal Lock and Dam Upper | AR | 65.27 ft | 44 km |
| Lake Claiborne | LA | 184.76 ft | 53 km |
| Columbia Lock and Dam Lower | LA | 34.92 ft | 65 km |
| Columbia Lock and Dam Upper | LA | 49.46 ft | 65 km |
| Thatcher Lock and Dam Upper | AR | 77.30 ft | 67 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Bayou Darbonne Lake?
- As of Aug 31, 2026, 2:45 AM (UTC-05:00), the pool elevation was 79.71 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Bayou Darbonne 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 07366364, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in Louisiana
See every lake tracked in Louisiana, or read the methodology behind these figures.