Grenada Lake Water Level
Mississippi · Yalobusha River
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Water level history
About Grenada Lake
Grenada Lake is a reservoir on the Yalobusha River in Mississippi, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's billed as the Crappie Capital of the World. Its full summer pool sits at 215 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Grenada Lake's water level
Grenada Lake is a Yazoo Basin flood-control reservoir in north-central Mississippi, built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the Yalobusha River and completed in 1954. Flood control is its primary purpose, and that job gives Grenada one of the most dramatic seasonal swings of any lake on this site. In the warm months the Corps fills it to a summer recreation pool of about 215 feet above sea level, then draws it down sharply, on the order of twenty feet, over the winter to open up an enormous volume of storage for the flood-prone Delta.
That means a Grenada that looks shockingly low in winter is doing exactly what it was designed to do, not suffering a drought. The exposed flats and stranded ramps of the drawdown season are normal, and the lake refills toward its summer pool in spring for the recreation season. Heavy rains across the Delta can also push the lake well above summer pool into its flood storage, after which the Corps releases the water downstream, so both the big winter drop and sudden spring rises are part of the operating plan rather than signs of trouble.
Grenada is billed as the Crappie Capital of the World, and the reason is tied to that very drawdown: the shallow, fertile flood-control basin, cycling between a full summer pool and a drawn-down winter, grows exceptionally large crappie, along with bass and catfish. The annual filling and lowering shapes the whole fishery and the recreation calendar around it. For anglers and boaters, the key is to expect a full lake near 215 feet in summer and a much lower, planned pool in winter.
Grenada Lake — frequently asked
Why does Grenada Lake's water level swing so much between seasons?
Grenada is a Corps flood-control lake in the Yazoo Basin, so it is filled to a summer recreation pool and then drawn down sharply, roughly twenty feet, over the winter to open up a large volume of flood storage for the Mississippi Delta. That deep, planned drawdown is the biggest reason for its dramatic seasonal swing.
What are Grenada Lake's summer and winter levels?
The summer recreation pool is about 215 feet above sea level. Over the winter the Corps draws the lake down on the order of twenty feet to create flood storage, then refills it toward summer pool in spring.
Is Grenada Lake low in winter because of a drought?
Usually not. The big winter drop is a deliberate, scheduled flood-control drawdown, not a drought. The exposed flats and low ramps in winter are normal, and the lake refills toward its summer pool in spring for the recreation season.
Why is Grenada Lake such a famous crappie lake?
Its shallow, fertile flood-control basin and the yearly cycle of filling and drawing down grow exceptionally large crappie, which is why the lake is billed as the Crappie Capital of the World. Bass and catfish also benefit from the productive habitat.
Why can Grenada Lake rise quickly in spring?
Heavy rains across the Delta can push the lake well above its summer pool into flood storage. The Corps captures that water and then releases it downstream, so a fast spring rise is normal flood-control operation.
What is Grenada Lake used for?
Its primary purpose is flood control for the Yazoo Basin, and on its summer pool it is a major recreation and fishing lake, best known for trophy crappie along with bass and catfish.
Other lakes near Grenada Lake
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