Belton Lake Water Level
Texas · Leon River
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Water level history
About Belton Lake
Belton Lake is a reservoir on the Leon River in Texas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's a popular Central Texas lake north of Killeen and Temple. Its full summer pool sits at 594 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Belton Lake's water level
Belton Lake fills a limestone valley on the Leon River northwest of Belton, Texas, and its defining number is not the 594-foot conservation pool but the 37 feet of flood storage stacked on top of it. The spillway crest sits at 631 feet, and the flood pool holds 725,400 acre-feet, roughly double the conservation storage. Behind that sits a 3,560-square-mile drainage basin feeding a lake of only about 12,300 surface acres, which is why Central Texas storms translate into very large, very fast movements here.
The conservation water is split between just two holders. The Brazos River Authority owns 96.78 percent of it, and the Fort Cavazos military reservation the remaining 3.22 percent. Bell County Water Control and Improvement District Number 1 is the operator most locals actually deal with, treating and delivering Belton and Stillhouse Hollow water to Killeen, Copperas Cove, Harker Heights, Belton and the post. Its drought triggers are set on lake elevation, with Stage 2 at 578.7 feet. Flood releases are governed not by conditions at the dam but by the Little River gauge downstream at Cameron.
The record book is dramatic in both directions. The lake crested at 634.36 feet on 6 March 1992, more than three feet over the spillway, during a pair of closely spaced fifty-year floods that damaged the ground below the spillway. In July 2007 it reached 629.62, nearly filling the flood pool again. Then in October 2023 it fell to 574.64 feet, breaking a record low that had stood since 1978 and leaving the lake almost twenty feet under conservation pool. Four months later it swung the other way, rising about 34 feet between January and May 2024. Shoreline here is rock rather than timber, with tall bluffs and long rocky points, and depths reaching about 124 feet.
Belton Lake — frequently asked
Why does Belton Lake rise and fall so dramatically?
Belton has an unusually deep flood pool, 37 feet from the 594-foot conservation pool up to the 631-foot spillway crest, fed by a 3,560-square-mile watershed draining into a relatively small lake. That combination means Central Texas storms can add tens of feet quickly, and droughts can pull it far below conservation pool. A 34-foot rise between January and May 2024 is the fastest swing in the modern record.
What is Belton Lake's full pool elevation?
The conservation pool is 594 feet above sea level, a level the lake has been held to since 1 May 1972. The top of the flood-control pool and the spillway crest are both 631 feet, and the top of the dam is 662 feet. Normal operating fluctuation around conservation pool runs roughly three to five feet.
What are Belton Lake's record high and low levels?
The record high is 634.36 feet on 6 March 1992, over three feet above the spillway crest. The record low is 574.64 feet on 22 October 2023, which broke the previous record of 582.78 feet set in December 1978. The 2023 low left the lake close to twenty feet below conservation pool.
Who controls the water in Belton Lake?
The Corps of Engineers operates the dam for flood control, but the conservation storage is contracted out: the Brazos River Authority holds 96.78 percent and Fort Cavazos holds 3.22 percent. Bell County Water Control and Improvement District Number 1 treats and delivers the water to Killeen, Copperas Cove, Harker Heights, Belton and the post.
Which Belton Lake ramps are affected by low water?
The Corps notes that McGregor Park closes during low lake levels, and that Iron Bridge Park cannot launch anything larger than a fourteen-foot flat bottom. Owl Creek Park is shallow. Cedar Ridge, Live Oak Ridge, Westcliff, White Flint and Temple's Lake Park carry the main multi-lane ramps, and North Point Marina is reached through Cedar Ridge.
What is BLORA?
The Belton Lake Outdoor Recreation Area is a leased park on the lake managed by Fort Cavazos rather than by the Corps, with two two-lane boat ramps. It reopened after a multi-year closure. Below the dam, Miller Springs Nature Center covers 260 acres with over ten miles of trails, run jointly by the cities of Belton and Temple.
Other lakes near Belton Lake
- Benbrook LakeTX
- Amistad ReservoirTX
- Lake BuchananTX
- Wright Patman LakeTX
- Canyon LakeTX
- Lake WhitneyTX
See current levels for all 27 Texas lakes and reservoirs →
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