Lake O' the Pines Water Level
Texas · Big Cypress Bayou
Full pool here is seasonal: the conservation pool sits at 228.5 ft through the winter and is raised to about 230 ft from May to October for the recreation season.
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Water level history
About Lake O' the Pines
Lake O' the Pines is a reservoir on the Big Cypress Bayou in Texas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's a popular cypress-lined lake in East Texas. Its full summer pool sits at 228.5 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Lake O' the Pines's water level
Lake O' the Pines is held back by Ferrells Bridge Dam on Big Cypress Bayou, and unlike most Texas reservoirs it runs a seasonal conservation pool: 228.5 feet through the winter, raised to 230 feet from the start of May to the start of October for the recreation season. The spillway is an uncontrolled ogee weir 200 feet wide with its crest at 249.5 feet, and the flood pool above conservation level is enormous, holding roughly 842,000 acre-feet against a conservation pool of about 241,000.
What makes this lake genuinely unusual is what happens to the water after it leaves. Big Cypress Bayou runs down to Caddo Lake, a bald cypress swamp designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in October 1993. Since 2004 the Corps has worked with The Nature Conservancy, the Caddo Lake Institute and the local water district on reshaping releases from Ferrells Bridge to mimic natural flow patterns for that wetland. The result is a published flow prescription with real numbers in it: monthly base flows varying by whether conditions are dry, average or wet, high-flow pulses of 1,500 cubic feet per second for two to three days several times a year, a 2,500 cubic-foot pulse every two years, and larger floods on longer cycles. Formal implementation began in January 2012, was suspended in late 2013, and was reinstated; radio-tagged paddlefish were released into the bayou in March 2014 to test whether the species could return.
The lake itself is the sole property of the Northeast Texas Municipal Water District in water terms, which was created in 1953 specifically to sponsor the project and holds one hundred percent of the conservation storage. Seven cities govern it: Avinger, Daingerfield, Hughes Springs, Jefferson, Lone Star, Ore City and Pittsburg. The shoreline is cypress-lined and the fishing is rated excellent for white bass and crappie, with hydrilla, water hyacinth and giant salvinia together covering around a tenth of the surface.
Lake O' the Pines — frequently asked
Does Lake O' the Pines have a seasonal pool?
Yes, and it is one of the few Texas reservoirs on this site that does. The conservation pool sits at 228.5 feet through the winter and is raised to 230 feet from around the start of May to the start of October for the recreation season. That is a modest change compared with the Kentucky lakes here, but it means a reading just under 229 in February is normal rather than low.
What is Lake O' the Pines' full pool elevation?
The winter conservation pool is 228.5 feet above sea level and the summer pool is 230. The uncontrolled spillway crest and top of the flood-control pool are both 249.5 feet, holding roughly 842,000 acre-feet against a conservation pool of about 241,000. The top of the dam is 277 feet.
Why do releases from Lake O' the Pines matter to Caddo Lake?
Because Big Cypress Bayou feeds it, and Caddo Lake is a bald cypress wetland designated of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in October 1993. A dam that releases a flat, steady flow starves a swamp that evolved on a varying one, so since 2004 the Corps has worked with The Nature Conservancy, the Caddo Lake Institute and the local water district to reshape releases from Ferrells Bridge Dam toward a more natural pattern.
What is the environmental flow regime below the dam?
A published prescription rather than a general intention. Base flows are set month by month against dry, average and wet conditions. On top of that sit high-flow pulses of 1,500 cubic feet per second for two to three days, three to five times a year between December and June; a 2,500 cubic-foot pulse every two years; and larger flood releases on three-to-five-year and ten-year cycles in wet conditions. Formal implementation began in January 2012.
What are Lake O' the Pines' record levels?
The Corps records a peak of 245.41 feet on 5 May 1966, the highest since the lake was impounded in 1957. Within the modern daily record the highest is 244.72 feet on 18 March 2001, and the lowest is 223.14 feet on 27 November 2006. The 2005 to 2006 drought, not the 2011 to 2015 one, produced the deepest drawdowns here.
Who owns the water in Lake O' the Pines?
The Northeast Texas Municipal Water District, which was created in 1953 specifically to sponsor the project and holds one hundred percent of the conservation storage under a 1954 contract. Seven member cities govern it: Avinger, Daingerfield, Hughes Springs, Jefferson, Lone Star, Ore City and Pittsburg, and ten communities receive treated water.
Other lakes near Lake O' the Pines
- Possum Kingdom LakeTX
- Lake LivingstonTX
- Proctor LakeTX
- Lake LewisvilleTX
- Ray Roberts LakeTX
- Lavon LakeTX
See current levels for all 27 Texas lakes and reservoirs →
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