Clinton Lake Water Level
Kansas · Wakarusa River
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Water level history
About Clinton Lake
Clinton Lake is a reservoir on the Wakarusa River in Kansas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's a popular recreation lake just west of Lawrence. Its full summer pool sits at 875.5 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Clinton Lake's water level
Clinton Lake sits on the Wakarusa River immediately west of Lawrence, Kansas, and it is one of four Corps of Engineers reservoirs, with Perry, Tuttle Creek and Milford, operated together for the Kansas River basin. Construction began in December 1971, the dam was finished in 1976, and the lake reached its conservation pool in 1980. The pool numbers give it real room: conservation level is 875.5 feet, the top of the flood pool is 903.4, the spillway crest 907.4, and the top of the dam 928. That is nearly 28 feet of flood storage, and in a regional flood Clinton holds water back while the rest of the system drains.
The 2019 flood is the clearest example. Clinton crested at 897.05 feet in late June and early July, more than 21 feet above conservation pool, having already broken the previous record of 892.48 feet from 1995 back in May. It was holding while Perry Lake, downstream on the same system, sat completely full and released first at 5,000 and then 10,000 cubic feet per second. In the other direction the lake is steadier: the modern low is 871.03 feet in April 2014, only about four and a half feet under conservation pool.
Building the lake emptied a valley. Richland was the largest of the Wakarusa Valley communities and the first the Corps demolished; Bloomington, founded in 1857 and a predominantly Black community by the end of the century, went too, and the Clinton Lake Museum now occupies an old milk shed that once stood in it. Twin Mound, settled in 1857 by the abolitionist Henry Hiatt, had been a station on the Underground Railroad. The town of Clinton itself stayed on dry land and gave the lake its name. The spillway cut left something else behind: a clean section through about 300 million years of Pennsylvanian rock, from the Plattsmouth Limestone down to the Amazonia Limestone, including the Oread Limestone that is named for the hill in Lawrence where the University of Kansas sits.
Clinton Lake — frequently asked
What is Clinton Lake's full pool elevation?
The multipurpose or conservation pool is 875.5 feet above sea level. The top of the flood-control pool is 903.4 feet, the spillway crest is 907.4, and the top of the dam is 928. That gives close to 28 feet of flood storage, which is why the lake can sit far above its normal level for weeks during a regional flood.
What is Clinton Lake's record high level?
897.05 feet, reached in late June and early July 2019, more than 21 feet above conservation pool. Earlier in the same wet season, in May 2019, it passed 893.28 feet and broke the previous record of 892.48 feet set in 1995. The true crest came about a month after the record was first reported.
Why does Clinton Lake stay high for so long after a flood?
Because it is operated as part of a system with Perry, Tuttle Creek and Milford lakes for the Kansas River basin. Clinton holds water back while downstream conditions allow, which in 2019 meant sitting high while Perry Lake, already completely full, released first. The lake comes down on the schedule the whole basin allows, not on its own.
Does Lawrence get its water from Clinton Lake?
Partly. Lawrence's Clinton Reservoir Water Treatment Plant draws from the lake and has been running since March 1980, now rated at 25 million gallons per day. The city's other plant, on the Kansas River, dates to 1917 and is rated at 16.5 million gallons per day. Clinton plant water was named the best tasting in Kansas in 2025.
What towns were flooded to build Clinton Lake?
The Corps bought out much of the Wakarusa Valley starting in the late 1960s. Richland was the largest community and the first demolished. Bloomington, founded in 1857 and predominantly Black by the late nineteenth century, was also removed, and the Clinton Lake Museum now occupies an old milk shed from it. Twin Mound, an Underground Railroad station founded by the abolitionist Henry Hiatt, was another. The town of Clinton itself remains on dry land.
What is there to do at Clinton Lake?
Clinton State Park has 368 campsites across the Coneflower and Prairie Clover campgrounds, seven cabins, four boat ramps and a marina. The North Shore Trail runs 25 miles and is a well-known regional mountain-biking route, alongside two disc golf courses, a swim beach and a trout pond. The Corps runs Overlook, Rockhaven, Bloomington East, Bloomington West and Woodridge. White bass and wipers are the standout fishery, and smallmouth bass, uncommon in most Kansas reservoirs, are caught along the rocky shorelines.
Other lakes near Clinton Lake
- Council Grove LakeKS
- Cheney ReservoirKS
- El Dorado LakeKS
- Big Hill LakeKS
- Elk City LakeKS
- Wilson LakeKS
See current levels for all 12 Kansas lakes and reservoirs →
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