Lake Billy Chinook water level — Oregon (USGS 14087520)
Lake Billy Chinook in Oregon was last measured at 1,944.55 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 12:15 AM (UTC-07:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been steady (−0.0 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- Not reported
- Recent trend
- →Steady
−0.0 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 14087520, 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 7,490 sq mi of contributing watershed.
The dam behind Lake Billy Chinook
Lake Billy Chinook is held back by Round Butte (also recorded as Billy Chinook Lake) , a rockfill embankment — quarried rock placed in compacted layers around a sealing core , standing 440 ft high and running 1,450 ft along its crest , built across Deschutes River in Jefferson County , near Warm Springs, OR . It was completed in 1964 , and is owned by Portland General Electric Company (a private 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.
Its spillway is gated, so the operator can hold the pool above the spillway crest and meter what leaves. The spillway opening is 36 ft wide. Its outlet works use tainter (radial)1.
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 04/11/2023.
At its normal pool the reservoir covers about 4,000 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 535,000 acre-ft against a normal storage of 535,000 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 28,000 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record OR00549 , 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.
| Gauge | Source | Elevation | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Billy Chinook | USGS site 14092050 | 1,944.50 ft (NGVD29) | — |
How Lake Billy Chinook compares nearby
1 of 6 nearby lakes with a current trend are also steady right now.
Nearby lakes
The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.
| Lake | State | Level | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Billy Chinook | OR | 1,944.50 ft | 9 km |
| Detroit Lake | OR | 1,528.67 ft | 80 km |
| Big Cliff Lake | OR | 1,200.34 ft | 83 km |
| Cougar Lake | OR | 1,559.39 ft | 92 km |
| Blue River Lake | OR | 1,271.18 ft | 95 km |
| Green Peter Lake | OR | 919.09 ft | 103 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Lake Billy Chinook?
- As of Aug 31, 2026, 12:15 AM (UTC-07:00), the pool elevation was 1,944.55 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Lake Billy Chinook 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 14087520, 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.