Prosser Creek Reservoir Water Level
Prosser Creek Reservoir is at 5,707.52 ft today (Oct 30), 33.68 ft below its 5,741.2 ft full pool, down 2.54 ft this week.
California · Prosser Creek
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Water level history
About Prosser Creek Reservoir
Prosser Creek Reservoir is a reservoir on the Prosser Creek in California, operated by U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Its full summer pool sits at 5741.2 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Prosser Creek Reservoir's water level
Prosser Creek Reservoir sits about four miles northeast of Truckee, behind a 163 foot earthfill and rockfill dam that Reclamation finished in 1962 as part of the Washoe Project. Storage began on January 30, 1963. The dam is about a mile and a half above the point where Prosser Creek meets the Truckee River, and it collects runoff from roughly 50 square miles with no other dam upstream. Full pool is 5,741.2 feet, the crest of the spillway, which holds about 29,800 acre feet. Alder Creek, the stream along which the Donner families camped through the winter of 1846 while the main party went on to Donner Lake, runs into the reservoir from the west. The Forest Service picnic area and memorial at that camp site are off Highway 89.
The level follows a flood rule more than the weather. Under the Corps of Engineers' 1985 Truckee Basin Water Control Manual, Reclamation must draw Prosser down to 9,800 acre feet by November 1 to leave 20,000 acre feet of empty space for winter storms, and it holds that limit through April 10. On the 1962 capacity table that is a little above 5,700 feet, close to 40 feet below full pool. Refill normally waits for spring, and the water right allows storage from April 10 to August 10. Prosser also has the most junior storage priority in the basin, behind Boca and Stampede, so it fills only after Floriston Rates and diversions at Derby Dam are met. Reclamation reported that it nearly filled in just 17 of 43 years and was emptied in 1976 and 1977. In 2025 and again in 2026 the Corps approved deviations that let refill start in March.
What Prosser stores matters downstream. Water released from Lake Tahoe at set rates is credited to Prosser as exchange water and later released to meet Floriston Rates, while the rest of its storage is managed for cui-ui and Lahontan cutthroat trout in Pyramid Lake, which spawn in the lower Truckee River. Since the Truckee River Operating Agreement took effect on December 1, 2015, the Truckee Meadows Water Authority has been able to bank drought supplies in Prosser, Boca, Stampede and Tahoe. For people on the water, the ramp at Prosser Ranch Group Campground on the west shore is the one to watch. In late October 2024, with the reservoir at 41 percent of capacity, local reports said it was out of the water, and the fall flood drawdown takes storage lower than that. Hand launching on the north and south ends depends on the level. The whole lake is a 10 mph zone.
Prosser Creek Reservoir — frequently asked
What is Prosser Creek Reservoir's full pool?
Full pool is 5,741.2 feet, the crest of the uncontrolled spillway, where the reservoir holds about 29,800 acre feet and covers roughly 750 acres. Usable storage runs down to 5,660.6 feet, the top of the inactive pool. In practice the lake is only allowed near full in late spring and summer, because flood rules cap winter storage at about a third of capacity.
What is the record high at Prosser Creek Reservoir?
The USGS record high is 5,746.11 feet on May 19, 1996, when storage reached 33,719 acre feet, nearly five feet over the spillway crest. The gauge panel on this page covers only about 2020 onward, and its high is 5,742.51 feet in 2023, a little over a foot above full pool.
What is the record low at Prosser Creek Reservoir?
USGS lists a minimum since first filling of 66 acre feet at 5,635.75 feet in October 1983, essentially empty. Reclamation also reports the reservoir was emptied in 1976 and 1977. The gauge panel on this page covers only about 2020 onward, and its low is 5,689.2 feet in 2026, roughly 52 feet below full pool.
Why is Prosser Creek Reservoir so low in fall and winter?
It is drawn down on purpose. The Corps of Engineers' 1985 water control manual requires Reclamation to cut storage to 9,800 acre feet by November 1, leaving 20,000 acre feet of space to catch winter floods, and to stay there until April 10. On October 16, 2026 USGS showed 13,020 acre feet at about 5,712 feet, so the drawdown was still under way.
When does Prosser Creek Reservoir refill?
Normally in spring, after April 10, once the flood rule allows. Because Prosser holds the most junior storage right in the Truckee basin, it stores water only after Boca, Stampede and downstream demands are satisfied, so dry years leave it short. In 2025 the Corps allowed refill to begin in late March, and in 2026 in mid March, more than a month early.
Can you launch a boat at Prosser Creek Reservoir when the water is low?
The paved ramp is at Prosser Ranch Group Campground on the west side, and it goes dry in low water. Local reports said it was out of the water in late October 2024 with the lake at 41 percent of capacity. Hand launching is possible at Lakeside Campground and on the north and south ends, depending on the level. Boaters must fill out an aquatic invasive species form first, and the speed limit is 10 mph.
Is the Donner Party camp near Prosser Creek Reservoir?
Yes. The Donner families camped in the valley of Alder Creek in the winter of 1846 after a broken axle stopped them, while the main party went about six miles farther to what is now Donner Lake. Alder Creek drains into Prosser Creek Reservoir, and the Forest Service picnic area and memorial at the camp are off Highway 89.
Other lakes near Prosser Creek Reservoir
- Lake ShastaCA
- Pine Flat LakeCA
- Lake SonomaCA
- Lake OrovilleCA
- Stampede ReservoirCA
- New Melones LakeCA
See current levels for all 29 California lakes and reservoirs →
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