Lake Sherburne at Sherburne water level — Montana

Montana · USGS · reading Aug 31, 2026, 2:00 AM (UTC-06:00) Provisional

Lake Sherburne at Sherburne in Montana was last measured at 4,759.68 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 2:00 AM (UTC-06:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−22.6 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.

Current reading Lake Sherburne at Sherburne · Montana
Pool elevation
4,759.68 ft

Datum NGVD29 · provisional, subject to revision. (Why datum matters →)

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

−22.6 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.

4788.0ft4759.7ftJun 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 05015500, 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 64 sq mi of contributing watershed.

The dam behind Lake Sherburne at Sherburne

Lake Sherburne at Sherburne is held back by Lake Sherburne Dam (also recorded as Lake Sherburne) , an earthfill embankment, holding the pool back by sheer mass and an impervious core rather than by the strength of concrete , standing 109 ft high and running 1,086 ft along its crest , built across SWIFTCURRENT CREEK in Glacier County , near BABB . It was completed in 1919 and modified in 1982H;1982S , and is owned by BUREAU OF RECLAMATION (a federal owner) .

Its recorded primary purpose is irrigation — the pool is drawn down across the growing season to serve water rights downstream, then refilled over winter .

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 96 ft wide.

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 2,163 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 110,679 acre-ft against a normal storage of 67,854 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 2,260 cubic feet per second.

Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record MT00572 , filed by Bureau of Reclamation — 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 Lake Sherburne at Sherburne compares nearby

All 6 nearby lakes with a current trend are also falling, suggesting a regional pattern rather than an operation specific to this dam.

Nearby lakes

The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.

Lakes nearest to Lake Sherburne at Sherburne, with current level and distance.
Lake State Level Distance
Hungry Horse Reservoir MT 3,550.06 ft 65 km
Georgetown Lake MT 6,429.02 ft 291 km
Franklin Roosevelt Lake WA 1,284.17 ft 415 km
Osoyoos Lake WA 911.28 ft 433 km
Conconully Lake at Conconully WA 2,300.91 ft 458 km
Conconcully Reservoir WA 2,255.39 ft 458 km

Frequently asked questions

What is the current water level of Lake Sherburne at Sherburne?
As of Aug 31, 2026, 2:00 AM (UTC-06:00), the pool elevation was 4,759.68 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
Is Lake Sherburne at Sherburne 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 05015500, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).

More in Montana

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