Dewey Lake Water Level
Dewey Lake is at 650.52 ft today (Oct 31), 0.52 ft above its 650 ft full pool, up 0.07 ft this week.
Kentucky · Johns Creek
Full pool is the summer level. Dewey Lake is drawn down about 5 ft to roughly 645 ft over winter for flood storage, so a lower reading outside the summer season is usually scheduled rather than drought.
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Water level history
About Dewey Lake
Dewey Lake is a reservoir on the Johns Creek in Kentucky, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 650 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Dewey Lake's water level
Dewey Lake is a flood control reservoir first and a recreation lake second. The Corps of Engineers' Huntington District finished the earthen dam on Johns Creek near Prestonsburg in 1949, and it works as one piece of the Corps' flood reduction system for the whole Ohio River basin. The numbers show the priority. At its normal summer level of about 650 feet the lake holds roughly 13,600 acre-feet, but the flood pool tops out at 686 feet and roughly 90,000 acre-feet, close to seven times as much. That 36 feet of empty space above the summer surface exists to catch Johns Creek runoff and release it slowly once the Levisa Fork and Big Sandy below have dropped. The national dam inventory credits the project with about $22.4 million in average annual flood damages prevented.
The level follows a two step seasonal pattern. Summer pool sits near 650 feet. In fall the Corps lowers the lake to a winter pool of 645 feet, and its water control procedures call for that drawdown to be complete by December 1, which leaves extra room for winter and spring storms. The lake comes back up to summer pool in spring. Dry weather can change the routine: in one drought autumn the Huntington District paused the drawdown at Dewey and ten other lakes while it judged the conditions. Big storms push the level far above normal. In early August 2022, after the eastern Kentucky floods, the Corps reported Dewey at 665.08 feet and held releases at minimum flow to protect flooded communities downstream. KY 194 near German Bridge and the road to May Lodge went under, parts of KY 302 around the lake closed, and every boat ramp was unusable.
Low water usually has a reason the Corps announces in advance. In early 2024 the lake was taken two feet below winter pool, to 643 feet, so freezing weather would kill the tubers of hydrilla, an invasive plant that crowds out native vegetation and fouls boat traffic. Terrys, Stratton and the Marina ramps were out of reach until mid March, leaving Goble Branch as the only launch. In February 2026 the Corps lowered Dewey to 640 feet for about four weeks so the floating docks at Jenny Wiley State Resort Park Marina could be replaced and about 15,000 cubic yards of sediment dredged from beneath them. That work explains the 2026 low on this page's gauge. Jenny Wiley sits on the lake's south shore, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources manages the 1,100 acre fishery, where hydrilla and zebra mussels are both now established.
Dewey Lake — frequently asked
What is Dewey Lake's full pool?
Summer pool is about 650 feet above sea level, the figure this page uses as full. The Corps' dam inventory lists the top of conservation pool at 649.71 feet. Above that sits a flood pool that reaches 686 feet, so a reading in the 650s or 660s after heavy rain means the lake is storing floodwater, not that it is overfull for its design.
When does Dewey Lake draw down for winter, and when does it fill?
The Corps lowers the lake from summer pool near 650 feet to a winter pool of 645 feet each fall, with the drawdown normally finished by December 1 under the project's water control procedures. The lake is raised back to summer pool in spring. In drought years the Huntington District has paused the fall drawdown to hold water while it evaluates conditions.
Why was Dewey Lake so low in early 2026?
The Corps drew it down to 640 feet in February 2026, five feet below normal winter pool, for about four weeks ending around March 10. The low water let crews remove and replace all of the floating docks at the Jenny Wiley State Park Marina and dredge roughly 15,000 cubic yards of sediment beneath and around them. Boat access to the whole lake was extremely limited during the work.
Why does the Corps sometimes drop Dewey Lake below winter pool?
To fight hydrilla. In early 2024 the Corps lowered the lake an extra two feet, to 643 feet, so winter freezes would reach and kill the plant's tubers in the exposed shallows. Terrys, Stratton and the Marina ramps were closed until mid March, while Goble Branch stayed open. State biologists say spreading hydrilla is already changing the bass and sunfish populations.
How high has Dewey Lake risen?
The gauge on this page, which covers only about the last six years, peaks at 670.9 feet in 2021, about 21 feet over summer pool. During the August 2022 eastern Kentucky floods the Corps reported 665.08 feet while holding releases at minimum to spare flooded towns downstream. Even those levels left room to spare, since the flood pool runs to 686 feet.
Which boat ramps work at low water on Dewey Lake?
Goble Branch, the campground ramp near Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, is generally the last one usable. It stayed open during the 2024 hydrilla drawdown to 643 feet, when Terrys, Stratton and the Marina ramps were out of reach. At 640 feet in 2026 even Goble Branch was limited to kayaks, jon boats and other small craft.
What fish are in Dewey Lake?
Kentucky Fish and Wildlife's 2026 forecast highlights catfish. Blue catfish are stocked every year, with good numbers from 16 to 22 inches and occasional fish over 36. Flatheads of 20 to 30 pounds are caught each year, often by noodlers in June. Muskellunge, also stocked annually, are an up and coming fishery with more fish over 30 inches, and white bass run up Johns Creek in March and April.
Other lakes near Dewey Lake
- Fishtrap LakeKY
- Dale Hollow LakeKY/TN
- Grayson LakeKY
- Lake CumberlandKY
- Green River LakeKY
- Cave Run LakeKY
See current levels for all 15 Kentucky lakes and reservoirs →
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