Arkabutla Lake Water Level
Mississippi · Coldwater River
Full pool is the summer recreation level, normally held mid-May to August with a winter pool near 210 ft. Since May 2023 the Corps has held the lake far below both, near 204 ft, while the dam is repaired, so the gap shown here is a dam-safety restriction rather than drought.
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Water level history
About Arkabutla Lake
Arkabutla Lake is a reservoir on the Coldwater River in Mississippi, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 220 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Arkabutla Lake's water level
Arkabutla is one of four Yazoo Basin flood-control reservoirs in north Mississippi, with Sardis, Enid and Grenada, and it normally runs a ten-foot seasonal cycle: a winter pool of 210 feet held from early December through April, a refill across the first half of May, a summer recreation pool of 220 feet held from mid-May through August, and a gradual drawdown from September to early December. At summer pool it covers 11,870 acres; at winter pool, 4,640. It rises and falls about a month later than the other three lakes.
That schedule has not been in effect since May 2023, and this is the most important thing to know about the lake right now. In March 2023 a depression was found near the downstream toe of the dam, caused by soil and sand washing out from beneath it. In May 2023, with the lake sitting fourteen feet above the rule curve after heavy rain, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch citing potential dam failure. The Corps then dropped the pool more than thirty feet in about seven weeks, causing fish kills in and below the lake, and has held it far below normal ever since, targeting around 204 feet. The Corps has been consistent that the physical condition of the dam is unchanged and a breach is not imminent, but the interim measures are real: relief wells, grout injected into subsurface voids, extra remote monitoring and restricted downstream access. The recommended long-term fix is to replace the outlet works with a new structure north of the existing one, and Mississippi wildlife staff quote a Corps repair estimate of seven to nine years.
For anyone visiting, the practical effects are severe. All boat ramps are closed except a gravel ramp into the north Coldwater River channel beside the Highway 51 landing, and the spillway, normally a popular fishing spot, is off limits. Angler surveys are suspended until the lake refills. There is an upside biologists expect: vegetation has colonised the exposed lake bed, and a refill should produce a new-lake effect, with catchable largemouth and white bass within a year of the first spawn.
Arkabutla Lake — frequently asked
Why is Arkabutla Lake so low?
A dam safety problem, not drought. In March 2023 a depression appeared near the downstream toe of the dam from soil washing out beneath it, and in May 2023 the Corps dropped the pool more than thirty feet in about seven weeks. It has been held far below its normal rule curve ever since, targeting around 204 feet, while repairs proceed. The Corps has consistently said the dam's physical condition is unchanged and a breach is not imminent.
What are Arkabutla Lake's normal summer and winter pool levels?
Normally the winter pool is 210 feet, held from early December through April, and the summer recreation pool is 220 feet, held from mid-May through August, with a refill in early May and a gradual drawdown from September. That ten-foot swing takes the lake from 4,640 acres to 11,870. Arkabutla rises and falls about a month later than Sardis, Enid and Grenada.
When will Arkabutla Lake return to normal levels?
Not soon. The recommended long-term fix is to replace the deteriorated outlet works with a new structure north of the existing one, and Mississippi wildlife staff quote a Corps repair estimate of seven to nine years. The dam safety modification study was expected to complete around the end of 2026. Until the work is done the lake stays well below its normal rule curve.
Are the boat ramps open at Arkabutla?
Almost none of them. With the pool held low, all the concrete ramps are closed except a gravel ramp into the north Coldwater River channel beside the Highway 51 landing. The spillway, normally a popular fishing spot, is off limits to the public during the repair period. Normally the lake has seven concrete fee ramps.
What are Arkabutla Lake's record levels?
The record high in the modern gauge record is 241.84 feet on 4 March 2018, about three and a half feet above the 238.3-foot emergency spillway crest. The record low is 194.65 feet on 4 September 2023, at the bottom of the emergency drawdown, only a few feet above the outlet gate invert. Mississippi biologists note the lake has overtopped its spillway more often than the other three Yazoo Basin reservoirs.
What is the fishing like at Arkabutla?
Historically it has been famous for crappie quality rather than quantity, and it is the smallest of Mississippi's four big flood-control reservoirs. Crappie carry a twelve-inch minimum and a ten-fish daily limit, with no more than 25 per boat carrying three or more anglers. White crappie generally pass twelve inches just after their third birthday; black crappie take about a year longer. Biologists expect a strong new-lake effect once the reservoir refills.
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