Cougar Lake water level — Oregon
Cougar Lake in Oregon was last measured at 1,559.39 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 falling (−11.5 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- Not reported
- Recent trend
- ↓Falling
−11.5 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 14159400, 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 207 sq mi of contributing watershed.
The dam behind Cougar Lake
Cougar Lake is held back by Cougar Dam (also recorded as South Fork Mckenzie River) , a rockfill embankment — quarried rock placed in compacted layers around a sealing core , standing 519 ft high and running 1,600 ft along its crest , built across SOUTH FORK MCKENZIE RIVER in Lane County , near SPRINGFIELD . It was completed in 1963 , and is owned by USACE - Portland District (a federal owner) , to a design credited to CENWP.
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;other;irrigation;navigation;recreation;hydroelectric.
It is founded on rock;soil, with a earth core. Its spillway is gated, so the operator can hold the pool above the spillway crest and meter what leaves. The spillway opening is 89 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 1,280 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 220,000 acre-ft against a normal storage of 208,000 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 76,000 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record OR00015 , 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 Cougar Lake compares nearby
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue River Lake | OR | 1,271.18 ft | 8 km |
| Green Peter Lake | OR | 919.09 ft | 43 km |
| Fall Creek Lake | OR | 794.86 ft | 46 km |
| Foster Lake at Foster | OR | 636.79 ft | 47 km |
| Lookout Point Lake | OR | 842.93 ft | 47 km |
| Hills Creek Lake | OR | 1,460.23 ft | 49 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Cougar Lake?
- As of Aug 31, 2026, 1:10 AM (UTC-07:00), the pool elevation was 1,559.39 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Cougar 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 14159400, 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.