Senecaville Lake Water Level
Senecaville Lake is at 832.73 ft today (Oct 30), 0.53 ft above its 832.2 ft full pool, up 0.01 ft this week.
Ohio · Seneca Fork
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Water level history
About Senecaville Lake
Senecaville Lake is a reservoir on the Seneca Fork in Ohio, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 832.2 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Senecaville Lake's water level
Senecaville Lake, which nearly everyone around Cambridge calls Seneca Lake, backs up the Seneca Fork of Wills Creek in southern Guernsey and Noble counties. The Army Corps of Engineers finished the dam in 1937 as part of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District system, a group of fourteen original dams built to reduce flooding and store water in the Muskingum basin. Ten of those hold permanent lakes, and Seneca is the largest of them at 3,550 acres. The Corps' Huntington District owns and operates the dam: a 2,350 foot earthen embankment with north and south sections, a combined outlet works and a gated concrete spillway, controlling 118 square miles of drainage. The conservancy district runs everything above the waterline, from the park and its 499 campsites to the marina. One detail in the Corps' own risk summary stands out: the spillway has never flowed.
The number that matters here is 832.2 feet. It is the normal summer pool, the top of the recreation pool, and also the bottom of the flood control pool, so every foot above it is floodwater being stored behind the dam. At 832.2 the lake stores about 43,500 acre feet. Fill the flood pool to its top at 842.5 feet and storage roughly doubles to 88,500 acre feet, with the top of the dam at 857. The Corps lists the record pool at 842.33 feet, within a fraction of a foot of a full flood pool. The gauge panel on this page covers only about 2020 onward, and its high is 837.05 feet in 2026, still below the 838 foot level the Corps marks as the top of its flood threat range.
Seneca is not held flat through the year. Each fall the Corps draws it down eight feet, from 832.2 to a winter level of 824.2, releasing water over about 42 days to open up flood storage for snowmelt and spring rain. The start date shifts from year to year: November 1 in 2023, November 15 in 2025. The 2026 low on this page, 824.17 feet, sits right on that winter target. The lower water also gives the conservancy district a window to work on the shoreline. Its $1.1 million rebuild at Seneca Lake Marina, which added about 500 feet of concrete block retaining wall, new dock abutments and an accessible shoreline walk, started after a November drawdown, with work in the water due by February 15. With a maximum depth of only 31 feet, eight feet is a big share of the lake, and refilling starts in February.
Senecaville Lake — frequently asked
What is Seneca Lake's full pool level?
Normal pool is 832.2 feet, which the Corps of Engineers treats as both the top of the recreation pool and the bottom of the flood control pool. At that level the lake covers 3,550 acres, the largest water surface in the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, and holds about 43,500 acre feet. Readings above 832.2 mean flood storage is in use.
Why is Seneca Lake low in winter?
It is lowered on purpose. Every fall the Corps of Engineers drops the lake eight feet, from 832.2 to 824.2, over about 42 days. The empty space catches winter thaw and spring rain before it reaches Wills Creek and the Muskingum, and the low water lets the conservancy district work on shorelines and docks. The 2026 low on this page, 824.17 feet, matches that winter level.
When does the Seneca Lake drawdown start and when does it refill?
The conservancy district publishes the schedule each October. The drawdown began November 1 in 2023 and November 15 in 2025, with releases spread over 42 days. Refilling begins in February. For the 2025 to 2026 season the suggested intermediate target was 830.2 feet by March 15, with the lake back at its 832.2 foot normal pool in time for summer.
What is Seneca Lake's record high level?
The Corps of Engineers lists the record pool at 842.33 feet, about ten feet over normal pool and only about two tenths of a foot below the 842.5 foot top of the flood pool. The top of the dam is 857 feet, and the spillway has never flowed. The gauge panel on this page covers only about 2020 onward, and its high is 837.05 feet in 2026.
How deep is Seneca Lake?
The conservancy district gives a maximum depth of 31 feet, which is shallow for a lake that covers 3,550 acres at normal pool. That makes the eight foot winter drawdown a large share of the lake's depth. The lake also has a second job: the Senecaville State Fish Hatchery draws its supply from the lake at up to 2,000 gallons per minute.
What is the horsepower limit on Seneca Lake?
The limit is 399 horsepower, posted by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, which manages the water surface. The district's lake map also marks a 6 mph zone and a no wake zone, and Ohio Department of Natural Resources rules and state licenses apply on the water. Seneca Lake Marina on Lashley Road handles boat rentals and docking.
What is the fishing like at Seneca Lake?
The Ohio Division of Wildlife says saugeye fishing is best in late fall and early spring, and several spots sit near good shoreline access. Crappie hold around fallen trees in the coves and around fish attractors most of the year. The Senecaville State Fish Hatchery below the dam is the state's main producer of saugeye and hybrid striped bass, and it runs on lake water.
Other lakes near Senecaville Lake
- Tappan LakeOH
- Pleasant Hill LakeOH
- Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak)OH
- Piedmont LakeOH
- Wills Creek LakeOH
- Paint Creek LakeOH
See current levels for all 16 Ohio lakes and reservoirs →
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