Jamestown Reservoir Water Level
Jamestown Reservoir is at 1,429.57 ft today (Oct 31), 1.57 ft above its 1,428 ft full pool, down 0.17 ft this week.
North Dakota · James River
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Water level history
About Jamestown Reservoir
Jamestown Reservoir is a reservoir on the James River in North Dakota, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 1428 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Jamestown Reservoir's water level
Jamestown Reservoir sits on the James River about two miles north of Jamestown, and it belongs to two agencies at once. The Bureau of Reclamation built the earthfill dam between 1952 and 1954, owns it, and stored its first water in February 1954. When the pool climbs into its flood control zone, though, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes over regulation of releases and runs the reservoir jointly with its own Pipestem Reservoir on Pipestem Creek, just to the west. The pair are the reason Jamestown and the river valley below fare better in big runoff years than much of the state: during the 2009 flood the Corps estimated the two dams prevented about $70 million in damage in the city. The James itself has one of the flattest gradients of any river in North America, so water that leaves these dams moves slowly, and the river can stay high for weeks once the reservoirs start emptying.
The number to know is 1,428 feet, the top of the active conservation pool, which holds 24,226 acre-feet and covers about 1,875 acres. A joint use band runs from there to 1,431 feet, and above that lies the exclusive flood pool, which tops out at 1,454 feet, the crest of the glory hole spillway, with 220,990 acre-feet in storage and more than 13,000 acres under water. Most of the year the gauge reads somewhere near 1,429 to 1,431 feet. In wet years it can rise ten or fifteen feet, and that stored water is released downstream as conditions allow. Under the joint plan, the Corps tries to empty the flood storage over the winter before the next spring melt, sizing combined releases from the two dams to the runoff forecast. At 1,445.4 feet, the Corps is required to release 1,800 cubic feet per second from Jamestown.
The defining event was April 2009. Reclamation warned on April 10 that the 1997 record of 1,445.91 feet would fall, and on April 26 the pool reached 1,454.12 feet, putting water over the glory hole spillway for the first time since the dam was finished. Peak daily inflow hit 10,800 cubic feet per second, and 2009 runoff at the Jamestown gauge totaled 520,000 acre-feet, against the old record of 420,000 set in 1997. Two years later the lake reached 1,451.2 feet on May 1, 2011, and 2011 was the largest discharge year on record for the two reservoirs. The low point after the initial filling came on March 3, 1993, at 1,420.91 feet, after several dry years. The water is eutrophic, draining more than a million acres of mostly farmland, and state regulators have confirmed several harmful algal blooms here. Biologists manage it primarily for walleye, and it is one of the most consistent crappie lakes in North Dakota.
Jamestown Reservoir — frequently asked
What is full pool at Jamestown Reservoir?
Full conservation pool is 1,428 feet, which holds 24,226 acre-feet across roughly 1,875 acres. Reclamation also designates a joint use zone up to 1,431 feet, so readings of 1,429 to 1,431 feet are normal and not a sign of flooding. Anything above 1,431 feet is water stored in the flood control pool, which the Corps of Engineers will release once downstream conditions allow.
What is the record high level at Jamestown Reservoir?
1,454.12 feet on April 26, 2009, just above the 1,454 foot crest of the glory hole spillway. It was the first time water had reached that spillway since the dam was completed in 1953. The previous record, 1,445.91 feet, was set during spring flooding in 1997. The lake came close again on May 1, 2011, when it peaked at 1,451.2 feet.
What is the lowest level Jamestown Reservoir has reached?
Since the reservoir first filled in the 1950s, the low is 1,420.91 feet on March 3, 1993, about seven feet below conservation pool, at the end of a run of dry years when the lake had dropped to about 14,400 acre-feet. More recently the pool fell to 1,423.87 feet in March 2020, and in October 2021 it reached 1,425.85 feet.
Who operates Jamestown Dam, the Bureau of Reclamation or the Corps of Engineers?
Both. The Bureau of Reclamation built and owns the dam and manages the reservoir, while the Stutsman County Park Board runs the parks along the shore. When the pool is in the flood control zone, the Corps of Engineers regulates releases in coordination with Reclamation and operates Jamestown together with Pipestem Reservoir, a Corps project finished in 1973.
Why does the James River stay high below Jamestown after a flood?
The James has one of the flattest gradients of any river in North America, so it can only carry water away slowly. Jamestown and Pipestem release their flood storage over months rather than days. In fall 2019, for example, the Corps held combined releases near 2,400 cubic feet per second and then cut them by 200 cubic feet per second a day in early November to reach a winter rate of 800 before river ice formed.
Is the ice safe on Jamestown Reservoir in winter?
Not always. When flood storage is still being evacuated in winter, the steady releases keep the James River below the dams unsafe, and in 2019 the Stutsman County Sheriff's Office banned travel and recreation on the Jamestown and Pipestem reservoirs once ice formed. Check current releases and county notices before heading out, especially after a wet fall.
What fish are in Jamestown Reservoir?
North Dakota Game and Fish manages the lake primarily for walleye and stocks several species most years. Northern pike, crappie, bluegill, smallmouth bass, muskie and bullhead are also present. Crappie are the standout: a 3 pound 4 ounce fish caught in Boat Club Bay on January 19, 2013 shares the state record, and Game and Fish fisheries management leader Scott Gangl has called the lake perhaps the most consistent crappie producer in the state.
Other lakes near Jamestown Reservoir
See current levels for all 6 North Dakota lakes and reservoirs →
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