Lake Taneycomo water level — Missouri

Missouri · USGS · reading Aug 31, 2026, 2:45 AM (UTC-05:00) Provisional

Lake Taneycomo in Missouri was last measured at 700.71 ft (datum NAVD88), as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:45 AM (UTC-05:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−0.4 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.

Current reading Lake Taneycomo · Missouri
Pool elevation
700.71 ft

Datum NAVD88 · provisional, subject to revision. (Why datum matters →)

% of conservation pool full
Not reported
Storage
Not reported
Recent trend
↓Falling

−0.4 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.

702.5ft700.7ftJun 2 – Aug 31

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).

Not for navigation or safety decisions (why →)

Source: USGS site 07053820 · USACE SWL/Powersite-Headwater, 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 4,360 sq mi of contributing watershed. USACE's continuous elevation record for this project begins in 2018 .

The dam behind Lake Taneycomo

Lake Taneycomo is held back by Ozark Beach , a buttress dam — a thin upstream face braced by a row of supports behind it , standing 54 ft high and running 1,270 ft along its crest , built across White River in Taney County , near Forsyth . It was completed in 1913 , and is owned by Empire District Electric Company (a public utility owner) .

Its recorded primary purpose is hydroelectric — releases follow generation schedules, so the level can move on a daily cycle that has nothing to do with drought . It also serves hydroelectric;recreation.

It is founded on rock, with a concrete core. Its spillway is gated, so the operator can hold the pool above the spillway crest and meter what leaves.

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 satisfactory — no deficiencies recognised for expected loading. That assessment is dated 04/11/2023.

At its normal pool the reservoir covers about 2,200 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 38,200 acre-ft against a normal storage of 28,000 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 270,000 cubic feet per second.

Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record MO30088 , filed by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — 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 →)

Other gauges at this site

A second gauge reports at this same structure. Its readings are listed here rather than on a separate page, because it measures the same water.

Companion gauges at Lake Taneycomo, with their own current readings.
Gauge Source Elevation Storage
Lake Taneycomo at School of the Ozarks USGS site 07053600 700.82 ft (NAVD88)

How Lake Taneycomo compares nearby

1 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.

Lakes nearest to Lake Taneycomo, with current level and distance.
Lake State Level Distance
Lake Taneycomo at School of the Ozarks MO 700.82 ft 11 km
Table Rock Dam MO 913.79 ft 18 km
Bull Shoals Dam AR 657.43 ft 59 km
White River AR 1,116.34 ft 70 km
Beaver Dam AR 1,117.22 ft 70 km
Norfork Dam AR 554.24 ft 92 km

Frequently asked questions

What is the current water level of Lake Taneycomo?
As of Aug 31, 2026, 2:45 AM (UTC-05:00), the pool elevation was 700.71 ft (datum NAVD88), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
Is Lake Taneycomo 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 07053820 · USACE SWL/Powersite-Headwater, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).

More in Missouri

See every lake tracked in Missouri, or read the methodology behind these figures.