Big Cliff Lake water level — Oregon
Big Cliff Lake in Oregon was last measured at 1,200.34 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 1:10 AM (UTC-07:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been rising (+12.0 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- Not reported
- Recent trend
- ↑Rising
+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 14181400, 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 453 sq mi of contributing watershed.
The dam behind Big Cliff Lake
Big Cliff Lake is held back by Big Cliff Dam (also recorded as Big Cliff Lake) , a concrete gravity structure, resisting the reservoir by its own weight alone , standing 172 ft high and running 280 ft along its crest , built across NORTH SANTIAM RIVER in Marion County , near MILL CITY . It was completed in 1954 , and is owned by USACE - Portland District (a federal owner) , to a design credited to CENWP.
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 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. The spillway opening is 156 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 141 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 5,930 acre-ft against a normal storage of 2,630 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 176,000 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record OR00003 , 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 Big Cliff Lake compares nearby
1 of 6 nearby lakes with a current trend are also rising right now.
Nearby lakes
The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.
| Lake | State | Level | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lake | OR | 1,528.67 ft | 4 km |
| Green Peter Lake | OR | 919.09 ft | 40 km |
| Foster Lake at Foster | OR | 636.79 ft | 48 km |
| Blue River Lake | OR | 1,271.18 ft | 64 km |
| Cougar Lake | OR | 1,559.39 ft | 69 km |
| Lake Billy Chinook | OR | 1,944.50 ft | 74 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Big Cliff Lake?
- As of Aug 31, 2026, 1:10 AM (UTC-07:00), the pool elevation was 1,200.34 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Big Cliff 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 14181400, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in Oregon
See every lake tracked in Oregon, or read the methodology behind these figures.