Townshend Dam water level — Vermont
Townshend Dam in Vermont was last measured at 479.25 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 22, 2026, 1:15 PM (UTC+00:00) (USACE CWMS Data). Over its recent trend window the level has been rising (+0.2 ft).
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- 157 acre-ft
- Recent trend
- ↑Rising
+0.2 ft over the trend window
Recent trend
Readings this station published between Jun 2, 2026 and Jun 7, 2026 — a 5-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: USACE NAE/TSD, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →
About this gauge's record
USACE's continuous elevation record for this project begins in 1961 (2 tracked series for this project).
The dam behind Townshend Dam
Townshend Dam is held back by Townshend Dam (also recorded as Townshend Lake) , a rockfill embankment — quarried rock placed in compacted layers around a sealing core , standing 126 ft high and running 1,700 ft along its crest , built across WEST RIVER in Windham County , near TOWNSHEND . It was completed in 1961 , and is owned by USACE - New England District (a federal owner) , to a design credited to CENAE.
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;recreation;hydroelectric.
It is founded on rock;soil, with a earth core. 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 439 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 95 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 54,300 acre-ft against a normal storage of 800 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 201,000 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record VT00004 , filed by US Army Corps of Engineers — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain. Water levels above come from USACE CWMS Data and are a separate source. (How this dam was matched to this gauge →)
How Townshend Dam compares nearby
1 of 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ball Mountain Dam | VT | 872.72 ft | 10 km |
| Surry Mountain Dam | NH | 491.39 ft | 32 km |
| North Springfield Dam | VT | 467.36 ft | 35 km |
| Otter Brook Dam | NH | 702.21 ft | 40 km |
| Tully Dam | MA | — | 60 km |
| Edward Macdowell Dam | NH | — | 61 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Townshend Dam?
- As of Aug 22, 2026, 1:15 PM (UTC+00:00), the pool elevation was 479.25 ft (datum NGVD29). See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Townshend Dam 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 USACE NAE/TSD, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in Vermont
See every lake tracked in Vermont, or read the methodology behind these figures.