Millwood Lake Water Level
Arkansas · Little River
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Water level history
About Millwood Lake
Millwood Lake is a reservoir on the Little River in Arkansas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's a renowned trophy bass and crappie fishery in southwest Arkansas. Its full summer pool sits at 259.2 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Millwood Lake's water level
Millwood is a shallow, timbered flood-control lake on the Little River in southwest Arkansas, held back by the longest earthen dam in the state at 3.3 miles. Its behaviour is set by one ratio: a watershed of about 4,119 square miles draining into a lake of only around 29,200 acres. That is roughly ninety acres of catchment for every acre of water, and it is why Millwood rises faster and further than its size suggests. The flood pool runs from the 259.2-foot conservation pool all the way to 287 feet, nearly 28 feet of storage, and the Corps of Engineers uses most of it.
The clearest illustration is June 2015, when the lake crested at 282.9 feet, more than 23 feet above conservation pool and within about four feet of the top of the flood pool. The Corps then released 38,500 cubic feet per second, holding that rate until there was channel capacity downstream. February 2018 produced a smaller version of the same thing, roughly twelve feet above normal. Millwood has no hydropower and no navigation mission, so releases are purely about flood storage and downstream conditions on the Little and Red rivers.
There is also a planned summer drawdown some years. In 2023 the Corps pulled the lake to 257.2 feet, two feet under conservation pool, from mid-July until 15 September, then let it refill. The exposed shoreline gets planted with millet, which improves water quality, feeds wintering waterfowl and helps compact sediment. That drawdown makes an already hazardous lake more so: about 20,000 acres of Millwood is submerged timber, and local navigation runs along named boat lanes cut through it, including the Saratoga, Big Bayou, Okay Point, Cottonshed, Paraloma, Outlaw and Cut-off trails. Two invasive plants are being fought here, giant salvinia found near Jack's Isle in December 2020 and Cuban bulrush found at the state park access in October 2024, the latter now ringed by 800 feet of containment boom.
Millwood Lake — frequently asked
Why does Millwood Lake rise so fast?
Its watershed is enormous relative to the lake. About 4,119 square miles of southwest Arkansas drains into roughly 29,200 acres of shallow water, which works out to around ninety acres of catchment per acre of lake. Basin-wide rain therefore turns into large, quick changes in stage, and the Corps has nearly 28 feet of flood pool above conservation level to absorb it.
What is Millwood Lake's full pool elevation?
The top of the conservation pool is 259.2 feet above sea level and the top of the flood-control pool is 287 feet. That gives about 27.8 feet of flood storage. The record crest is 282.9 feet, reached on 14 June 2015, which was within roughly four feet of filling the flood pool completely.
Does Millwood Lake get drawn down in summer?
In some years, yes. In 2023 the Corps lowered the lake to 257.2 feet, two feet below conservation pool, from 17 July until 15 September before refilling. The exposed ground is planted with millet to improve water quality, provide winter waterfowl habitat and help compact sediment. A similar drawdown was run in 2020.
Is Millwood Lake dangerous to boat?
It demands care. Roughly 20,000 acres of the lake is submerged timber and stumps, and boats generally stay on marked boat lanes cut through it, including the Saratoga, Big Bayou, Okay Point, Cottonshed, Paraloma, Outlaw and Cut-off trails. During a drawdown the Corps specifically warns that stumps and shallow spots in those lanes become more hazardous.
What invasive plants are in Millwood Lake?
Two. Giant salvinia was found near Jack's Isle along the Little River arm in December 2020, the fourth known site in south Arkansas; it can double in a week and mats can grow thick enough to block access to the water beneath. Cuban bulrush turned up at the Millwood State Park access in October 2024 and was treated twice, with 800 feet of containment boom placed around the ramp.
What is Millwood Lake known for?
Trophy largemouth bass and crappie, on the strength of all that flooded timber and fertile shallow water. It is also an Audubon-designated Important Bird Area, with over 300 of Arkansas's roughly 400 recorded bird species documented. Millwood State Park sits on the south shore with 45 campsites and a seasonal marina, and the lake supplies water to Texarkana and a paper mill.
Other lakes near Millwood Lake
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