Rathbun Lake Water Level
Rathbun Lake is at 905.76 ft today (Oct 31), 1.76 ft above its 904 ft full pool, up 0.03 ft this week.
Iowa · Chariton River
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Water level history
About Rathbun Lake
Rathbun Lake is a reservoir on the Chariton River in Iowa, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 904 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Rathbun Lake's water level
Rathbun Dam holds back the Chariton River about seven miles north of Centerville, and its job starts with arithmetic. The top of the multipurpose pool is 904 feet, where the lake covers about 11,000 acres with 155 miles of shoreline. The flood control pool runs another 22 feet up to 926, and at that level the lake spreads over roughly 21,000 acres. Everything above 904 is water the Corps of Engineers is holding for a reason, whether flood storage off the 549 square mile drainage or a seasonal target. Summer readings near 905 or 906 are normal: the Corps has used 905.6 feet as its seasonal management plan elevation, and the lake must reach 905.6 by early October before any fall release is made to the state and private conservation areas along the Chariton downstream. In 2021 a dry August brought in only 28 percent of average inflow, the pool sat near 904.5 in late September, and the Corps warned the fall release would likely be cancelled.
The highest level on record is 927.16 feet on 28 July 1993, above the top of the flood control pool. July 2010 came within half a foot, with a daily mean of 926.71 on 24 July, and the Corps pushed releases to 3,000 cubic feet per second that year. August 2008 peaked at 925.09. In late May 2013 the lake stood 17 feet above normal with the flood pool about 72 percent full, and in 2019 it crested near 918 in early June while the Corps delayed releases three days to wait on the Chariton, then started at 1,500 cubic feet per second. Rathbun can only empty as fast as the river below can take it, so a big spring rise can take weeks to work off. The June 2026 rise was modest by comparison, topping out near 911 in mid June and back around 905.5 by mid July. The lowest daily reading in the USGS record, which begins in 2000, is 899.86 feet in November 2006.
Rathbun is also the drinking water source for Rathbun Regional Water Association, organized in 1972, which now serves more than 80,000 people in 51 communities across 18 counties of Iowa and Missouri through about 7,000 miles of pipeline. Protecting that supply is the work of the Rathbun Land and Water Alliance, formed in 1997 to cut sediment and phosphorus coming off the 354,000 acre watershed in six southern Iowa counties; its stated goal is treating 30,000 priority acres to keep 90,000 tons of sediment a year out of the lake. The Iowa DNR's Rathbun Fish Hatchery, dedicated in 1977, raises channel catfish and walleye, including about 70 million walleye fry a year for waters across the state. In the lake itself, DNR biologists report hybrid striped bass numbers rising, with fish close to nine pounds sampled in 2020, along with improving walleye and crappie in the nine to eleven inch range. Zebra mussels are present, so boats should be cleaned, drained and dried before moving to other water.
Rathbun Lake — frequently asked
What is Rathbun Lake's full pool?
The top of the multipurpose (conservation) pool is 904 feet above sea level, where the lake covers about 11,000 acres. The flood control pool extends to 926 feet and about 21,000 acres. In practice the Corps often carries the lake a little above 904 during the warm months; 905.6 feet has been its seasonal management plan elevation, so a summer reading around 905 or 906 is not unusual.
What is the record high at Rathbun Lake?
927.16 feet on 28 July 1993, according to the National Weather Service historic crest list, just over a foot above the 926 foot top of the flood control pool. The closest approach since then was July 2010, when the daily mean reached 926.71 on 24 July and local coverage noted the lake approaching 1993 levels. The Corps released as much as 3,000 cubic feet per second that summer. The gauge on this page only keeps about six years of readings, so its high and low are recent marks, not these records.
How low has Rathbun Lake been?
In the USGS daily record, which starts in 2000, the lowest reading is 899.86 feet on 27 November 2006, a little over four feet below the 904 foot multipurpose pool. More recently the lake bottomed out at 902.37 in late December 2023. The low points in that record tend to fall in late fall and early winter, including 902.23 in December 2010, only five months after that year's near record flood.
Why does it take so long for Rathbun Lake to come down after heavy rain?
Releases are limited by conditions on the Chariton River below the dam. After heavy rain in May 2019 the lake reached 917 feet, yet the Corps held off for three days waiting on the river, then began at 1,500 cubic feet per second and planned to step up to about 2,200. It expected at least two weeks of releases to get back to the 905.6 foot seasonal level.
What happened to Rathbun Lake's level in June 2026?
Rain in early June pushed the lake up about five feet in two weeks, from roughly 906 on 1 June to a daily mean of 910.99 on 15 June, about seven feet above the 904 foot pool. That put a modest amount of water into flood storage, far below the 918 of 2019 or the 926 range of 2010. By mid July the lake was back near 905.5, where it held through September.
Is Rathbun the largest lake in Iowa?
No. The Iowa DNR describes Rathbun as Iowa's second largest lake. At the 904 foot multipurpose pool it covers about 11,000 acres and stretches roughly 21 miles, with 155 miles of shoreline. When the flood control pool fills toward 926 feet, the surface roughly doubles to about 21,000 acres.
What fish are in Rathbun Lake?
The Iowa DNR lists black and white crappie, walleye, wipers (hybrid striped bass), white bass, largemouth bass, and channel and flathead catfish. Biologists report wiper numbers increasing, with fish near nine pounds sampled in 2020, good walleye fry survival that year, and plenty of nine to eleven inch crappie. The Rathbun Fish Hatchery at the lake produces about 70 million walleye fry a year for stocking statewide.
Other lakes near Rathbun Lake
- Big Sandy LakeMN
- Blue Springs LakeMO
- Bull Shoals LakeAR/MO
- Carlyle LakeIL
- Cross Lake (Whitefish Chain)MN
- Gull LakeMN
See current levels for all 1 Iowa lakes and reservoirs →
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