Lake Livingston Water Level
Texas · Trinity River
Sponsor Lake Livingston
Put your marina, real-estate, or local business in front of everyone checking this lake's level. One exclusive sponsor per lake.
Cancel anytime · Questions?
Water level history
About Lake Livingston
Lake Livingston is a reservoir on the Trinity River in Texas, operated by Trinity River Authority. It's one of the largest lakes in Texas. Its full summer pool sits at 131 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the Texas Water Development Board and update daily.
Understanding Lake Livingston's water level
Lake Livingston is not a flood-control reservoir and it is not federal. The Trinity River Authority built it, owns it and operates it under a 1964 contract with the City of Houston, which holds 70 percent of the water rights against the authority's 30. It is the largest single-purpose reservoir in Texas, about 83,000 acres at normal pool, 55 miles long with over 450 miles of shoreline, on a drainage of 16,616 square miles. Houston draws the bulk of its municipal supply from the Trinity through this lake.
Because it was built to stay full rather than to catch floods, it has no flood storage at all. The pool sits flat at 131 feet and the twelve tainter gates, each forty feet by thirty-five, essentially pass the river through: spillway operation mirrors river flow rather than storing it. The authority holds flowage easements allowing water to 135 feet at the southern end and 140 at the northern. In the elevation record since October 1996 the lake has run between a record high of 133.60 feet in May 2024 and a record low of 126.65 feet in November 2011, a working range of barely seven feet.
That May 2024 high is directly connected to what happened next. A record spillway flow of 124,000 cubic feet per second scoured the stilling basin below the spillway, and on 28 June 2024 the authority declared a potential failure watch on the dam. Emergency repairs ran through the summer with round-the-clock crews, the lake lowered by as much as three feet, and drone survey work; the authority maintained throughout that failure was not imminent. The status was downgraded to a watch condition in January 2025, a $30 million federal grant was approved late that year, and permanent spillway improvements are in design with construction expected to begin in 2027. In May 2026 the authority publicly rebutted a viral video alleging structural movement, saying inspection findings contradicted the claim.
Lake Livingston — frequently asked
Who owns Lake Livingston?
The Trinity River Authority of Texas built, owns and operates it, under a 1964 contract with the City of Houston. The water rights are split 70 percent to Houston and 30 percent to the authority. It is not a Corps of Engineers lake, which is why it behaves differently from most large Texas reservoirs.
Why doesn't Lake Livingston's level change much?
Because it has no flood storage. It was built as a water supply reservoir designed to stay full, not as a flood-control lake, so the twelve tainter gates essentially pass the river through and spillway operation mirrors river flow. The pool sits flat at 131 feet, and in thirty years of record the lake has moved through a range of barely seven feet.
What are Lake Livingston's record high and low levels?
The record high is 133.60 feet on 3 May 2024 and the record low is 126.65 feet on 3 November 2011, during the statewide Texas drought. Note that the daily elevation record begins in October 1996, so these cover roughly thirty years rather than the full life of the reservoir, which filled in 1971.
Is there a problem with Lake Livingston Dam?
There was a serious one, now stabilised. A record spillway flow of 124,000 cubic feet per second in mid-2024 scoured the stilling basin below the spillway, and on 28 June 2024 the authority declared a potential failure watch. Emergency repairs ran through that summer with the lake lowered as much as three feet and round-the-clock monitoring. The status was downgraded to a watch condition in January 2025.
When will Lake Livingston Dam be permanently repaired?
Permanent spillway improvements are in design, with construction expected to begin in 2027, funded by a state legislative appropriation. A $30 million federal disaster grant was approved in late 2025 to reimburse the authority for restoring infrastructure damaged in the 2024 flooding. The emergency repairs completed in January 2025 were the interim fix, not the permanent one.
What is the fishing like at Lake Livingston?
White bass dominate and are rated excellent, plentiful and reaching large sizes, best in early spring in the feeder creeks. Blue catfish are rated good and catchable year-round in the main channels and tributaries. Largemouth fish best in spring and autumn in the bays and northern creeks, and striped bass can be taken around the Highway 190 bridge. Zebra mussels are present, and a fish consumption advisory is in effect.
Other lakes near Lake Livingston
- Lake O' the PinesTX
- Lake LewisvilleTX
- Possum Kingdom LakeTX
- Lavon LakeTX
- Proctor LakeTX
- Joe Pool LakeTX
See current levels for all 27 Texas lakes and reservoirs →
Add this gauge to your website
Run a marina, boat rental, guide service, or real-estate site on Lake Livingston? Put this free live-level widget on your page — just copy and paste the code: