Perry Lake Water Level
Perry Lake is at 894.42 ft today (Oct 31), 2.92 ft above its 891.5 ft full pool, up 0.41 ft this week.
Kansas · Delaware River
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Water level history
About Perry Lake
Perry Lake is a reservoir on the Delaware River in Kansas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 891.5 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Perry Lake's water level
Perry Lake sits on the Delaware River in Jefferson County, about forty miles west of Kansas City and just northwest of Lawrence, and it exists to keep the Delaware and Kansas rivers off the bottomland downstream. The rolled earth dam is 7,750 feet long and rises 95 feet above the streambed, and it gathers runoff from 1,117 square miles of northeast Kansas. The Corps finished the dam in 1966, the lake first flooded on 15 January 1969, and it was dedicated in 1970. The rising water covered the original town of Ozawkie, which was rebuilt on higher ground to the west. Normal pool is 891.5 feet, where the lake covers about 11,146 acres with some 160 miles of shoreline. Everything between there and the top of the flood control pool at 920.6 feet is empty space the Kansas City District keeps in reserve for storms.
That reserve has been used to the brim twice. In 1993 the pool reached 920.94 feet, and on 29 May 2019 it edged past that at 921.14 feet, nearly thirty feet above normal, with the dam running in surcharge. The Corps held releases at up to 10,000 cubic feet per second, which at the peak only matched what was flowing in. The lake stayed high all summer. On 2 July it was still 26 feet above normal, swimming was banned and Corps campgrounds were shut. By 24 July it had fallen to 911.39 feet, and releases of 5,000 cubic feet per second were lowering it about four inches a day, except when a rising Missouri River forced the Corps to stop. Lakeside Village lost both of its low lying wells to the water, and the National Guard hauled in 1.3 million gallons of drinking water. The gauge panel on this page covers only about 2020 onward, so it does not show either record.
Low water at Perry usually has a downstream cause as well. The Corps can order extra releases from Perry, Tuttle Creek and Milford to hold the Missouri River at its minimum flow for barge traffic, and it had done so nine times in the 22 years before 2002, when Governor Bill Graves protested a planned drawdown of up to six feet over the Fourth of July. In 2006 boaters and Governor Kathleen Sebelius fought a similar drawdown, and the Corps answered that navigation support is part of the lake's mission. Perry also holds storage for the Kansas River Water Assurance District, whose cities and industries run from Junction City to Kansas City, Kansas. Silt is the slower threat. A 2003 USGS and state study found the lake had lost 23 percent of its storage since 1969, with a sediment yield about three times that of Tuttle Creek, and silt closed the ramps at Paradise and Sunset Ridge parks in the late 1980s.
Perry Lake — frequently asked
What is Perry Lake's normal pool level?
891.5 feet above sea level. That is the multipurpose pool the Corps aims to hold, and Perry State Park lists it as the lake's normal level. At that elevation the lake covers roughly 11,146 acres. The flood control pool tops out at 920.6 feet, so anything above 891.5 is floodwater being stored on purpose and released as the Kansas and Missouri rivers allow.
What is the record high at Perry Lake?
921.14 feet, reached on the morning of 29 May 2019 after weeks of heavy rain, according to a USGS reading reported by KSNT. That broke the 1993 record of 920.94 feet by about two tenths of a foot and put the lake nearly thirty feet above normal pool. The Corps said it was releasing 10,000 cubic feet per second at the time, which only matched the inflow.
Why does Perry Lake stay high after a flood?
Releases are limited by what the rivers below can take. In July 2019 the Corps was letting out 5,000 cubic feet per second, enough to drop the lake about four inches a day, but stopped when heavy rain raised the Missouri River. After a six foot rise in June 2026, a local marina manager said the drop would depend on when releases began and on the Kansas and Missouri rivers slowing down.
Why is Perry Lake being drawn down in summer?
Often it is for the Missouri River, not Perry itself. The Corps can order releases from Perry, Tuttle Creek and Milford when the Missouri falls to its minimum navigation flow, and it says those releases are required by law to support barge traffic. In 2006 boaters said drawdowns of as much as six feet did little for the Missouri, and the governor asked the Army to cut them back.
Is Perry Lake filling with sediment?
Yes, faster than most Kansas reservoirs. A USGS and Kansas Department of Health and Environment study reported in 2003 that sediment had taken 23 percent of the lake's storage since it opened in 1969, and that Perry received more sediment than any other Kansas lake studied to that point. Silt closed the boat ramps at Paradise and Sunset Ridge parks in the late 1980s.
What is the fishing like at Perry Lake?
State biologists rate channel catfish and white bass as good and black crappie as poor, with white crappie slow to fair. Blue catfish run up to about 25 pounds on 10 to 15 foot mud flats, and since 25 July 2025 anglers may keep ten of any size but only one over 30 inches. Sauger are plentiful, though few reach the 18 inch minimum. Zebra mussels were found in October 2007.
What town is under Perry Lake?
The original town of Ozawkie. When the reservoir filled in the late 1960s it covered the old townsite, and Ozawkie was rebuilt on higher ground to the west, along the Delaware River, and today it sits on the western shore near the north end of the lake. Perry, the namesake town, lies a few miles south of the dam.
Other lakes near Perry Lake
See current levels for all 21 Kansas lakes and reservoirs →
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