Bennington Lake water level — Washington

Washington · USGS · reading Aug 31, 2026, 1:00 AM (UTC-07:00) Provisional

Bennington Lake in Washington was last measured at 1,198.52 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 31, 2026, 1:00 AM (UTC-07:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been falling (−2.7 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.

Current reading Bennington Lake · Washington
Pool elevation
1,198.52 ft

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

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

−2.7 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.

1207.3ft1198.5ftJun 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 14013800, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →

The dam behind Bennington Lake

Bennington Lake is held back by Mill Creek Storage Dam (also recorded as Bennington Lake; Mill Creek Lake) , an earthfill embankment, holding the pool back by sheer mass and an impervious core rather than by the strength of concrete , standing 145 ft high and running 3,200 ft along its crest , built across MILL CREEK OFFSTREAM in Walla Walla County , near WALLA WALLA . It was completed in 1942 , and is owned by USACE - Walla Walla District (a federal owner) .

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.

NID records no spillway for it. The spillway opening is 250 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 25 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 8,300 acre-ft against a normal storage of 3,300 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 17,000 cubic feet per second.

Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record WA00348 , 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 Bennington 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.

Lakes nearest to Bennington Lake, with current level and distance.
Lake State Level Distance
Willow Creek Lake at Heppner OR 2,052.16 ft 128 km
Moses Lake at Moses Lake WA 1,046.73 ft 141 km
Soap Lake WA 1,068.53 ft 176 km
Lenore Lake WA 1,076.92 ft 187 km
Franklin Roosevelt Lake WA 1,284.17 ft 217 km
Bull Run Lake OR 3,163.78 ft 286 km

Frequently asked questions

What is the current water level of Bennington Lake?
As of Aug 31, 2026, 1:00 AM (UTC-07:00), the pool elevation was 1,198.52 ft (datum NGVD29), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
Is Bennington 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 14013800, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).

More in Washington

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