Lost Creek Reservoir Water Level
Lost Creek Reservoir is at 5,942.04 ft today (Oct 30), 62.96 ft below its 6,005 ft full pool, up 0.07 ft this week.
Utah · Lost Creek
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Water level history
About Lost Creek Reservoir
Lost Creek Reservoir is a reservoir on the Lost Creek in Utah, operated by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Its full summer pool sits at 6005 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Lost Creek Reservoir's water level
Lost Creek Reservoir sits in a narrow canyon in Morgan County, about twelve miles up Lost Creek from where it meets the Weber River near Croydon. The Bureau of Reclamation built the dam between 1963 and 1966 as part of the Weber Basin Project: a zoned earthfill embankment 248 feet high and 1,078 feet across the crest. Reclamation still owns it, and the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District runs it. Behind the dam the lake holds 22,510 acre feet over 365 acres when full, fed by 123 square miles of drainage. Its water irrigates the mountain valleys along Lost Creek and East Canyon Creek and is released downstream for farms and cities in the Ogden and Salt Lake area. Full pool is 6,005 feet, and that is also the crest of an uncontrolled spillway, a concrete chute on the right abutment with no gates. Once the lake tops 6,005 the surplus simply pours over, which is why readings a foot or two above full show up in big snowmelt years.
The yearly rhythm is set almost entirely by snow. In Reclamation's daily record, which begins in mid 1986, the lake usually peaks between mid May and late June, then drops through the irrigation season to a low in September or October and climbs slowly over winter. A normal swing is around 25 feet; in 2024 the lake went from 6,006.75 feet on 22 May down to 5,981.46 on 15 October. Big winters refill it fast. In 2023, the year Utah's statewide snowpack broke its 1983 record, the lake rose from 5,956.1 feet on 27 April to 6,006.09 on 4 June, fifty feet in under six weeks. The highest reading in the record is 6,006.86 feet on 17 May 2019. The deepest drop was deliberate: from 1997 to 1999 Reclamation drained the reservoir to strengthen a foundation that could liquefy in a large earthquake, and storage reached zero in December 1997.
2026 is the other extreme. Utah had its warmest winter on record and its lowest statewide snowpack on record, which peaked on 9 March at 8.4 inches of water, roughly half the usual early April amount. Lost Creek gained only about eight feet over the winter and topped out at 5,982.79 feet on 19 April, some 22 feet below the spillway and weeks ahead of its usual late spring peak. It then fell steadily through the summer to 5,941.52 feet on 16 September, the lowest level since March 2005, holding about 6,100 acre feet, or a little over a quarter of capacity. The Weber Basin district cut secondary water allocations by 20 percent in 2026 and shortened the watering season to 15 May through 15 September. Winter inflow raises the lake only a few feet, so real recovery waits on the 2027 runoff.
Lost Creek Reservoir — frequently asked
What is Lost Creek Reservoir's full pool elevation?
6,005 feet above sea level. That figure is both the top of the active conservation pool and the crest of the dam's ungated spillway, so the lake cannot be held above it; anything higher spills over on its own. At full pool the reservoir holds 22,510 acre feet across 365 acres. The dam crest itself is at 6,022 feet, and Reclamation lists the maximum design water surface at 6,015.9 feet.
Why is Lost Creek Reservoir so low in 2026?
Utah had its lowest statewide snowpack on record in 2026, peaking on 9 March at 8.4 inches of water, along with its warmest winter on record. The lake's spring peak was only 5,982.79 feet on 19 April, about 22 feet short of full, and summer irrigation releases then drew it down to 5,941.52 feet by 16 September. That is the lowest reading since March 2005, with roughly 6,100 acre feet left in storage.
What is the highest level Lost Creek Reservoir has reached?
In Reclamation's daily record, which starts in mid 1986, the peak is 6,006.86 feet on 17 May 2019, just under two feet over the spillway crest. May 2024 came within about a tenth of a foot, cresting at 6,006.75 feet on 22 May. Other spill years include 1995, 2011, 2017 and 2023. Because the spillway has no gates, these highs are set by how fast snowmelt arrives rather than by operator choice.
Was Lost Creek Reservoir ever drained?
Yes. Reclamation found that the dam sat on a foundation that could liquefy in a large earthquake, and from 1997 to 1999 it emptied the reservoir to fix it. Crews used dynamic compaction near the upstream and downstream toes, built a stability berm, routed the creek through a 60 inch bypass pipe and removed the sediment just above the dam. Storage hit zero in December 1997, and the lake only reached 5,919 feet in 1998.
When does Lost Creek Reservoir fill up?
It fills on spring snowmelt, typically peaking between mid May and late June, then declines all summer as water is released for irrigation and downstream users. In wet years it rises remarkably fast: in 2023 it climbed fifty feet between late April and early June and spilled. In dry years like 2026 the peak comes early and well short of full, and the lake climbs only a few feet over winter before the next runoff.
Can you launch a boat at Lost Creek State Park when the water is low?
The park, designated by the legislature in 2021, has a boat ramp and a seasonal courtesy dock near the center of the reservoir, but Utah State Parks has removed the ramp's wedge dock when the water dropped. The lake is wakeless, overnight mooring is not allowed, and launching is included in the day use fee. Facilities are primitive: vault toilets, first come, first served camping, and no power or drinking water, so check current conditions before towing a boat up.
What fish are in Lost Creek Reservoir?
DWR's April 2022 gillnet survey caught cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, kokanee salmon, tiger trout, splake and mottled sculpin, but Utah chub made up 46 percent of the catch. Kokanee were 24 percent after three years of stocking, and cutthroat and rainbow were about 14 percent each. Cutthroat averaged roughly 15 inches. The limit is four trout or kokanee combined, kokanee of any size count, and fish may not be filleted in the field.
Other lakes near Lost Creek Reservoir
- Pineview ReservoirUT
- Jordanelle ReservoirUT
- Lake PowellUT/AZ
- Flaming Gorge ReservoirUT/WY
- Red Fleet ReservoirUT
- Echo ReservoirUT
See current levels for all 10 Utah lakes and reservoirs →
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