Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak) Water Level
Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak) is at 721.73 ft today (Oct 31), 0.73 ft above its 721 ft full pool, up 0.02 ft this week.
Ohio · East Branch Sunday Creek
Full pool is the summer level. Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak) is drawn down about 11 ft to roughly 710 ft over winter for flood storage, so a lower reading outside the summer season is usually scheduled rather than drought.
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Water level history
About Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak)
Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak) is a reservoir on the East Branch Sunday Creek in Ohio, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 721 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak)'s water level
Most people call it Burr Oak Lake, after the state park that wraps around it, but the dam holding it back on the East Branch of Sunday Creek carries the name Tom Jenkins. Congress named it for Thomas A. Jenkins, the congressman from Ohio's 10th district who guided the legislation through. The Flood Control Act of 1944 authorized what was then called the Burr Oak Dam and Reservoir, World War II pushed it back, and the State of Ohio and the federal government signed a $2 million cost sharing agreement on 22 January 1948. Work started that March, the creek was closed off in November 1948, and the dam was finished on 3 February 1950. Burr Oak became a state park two years later, and the grand opening on 12 October 1952 had Jenkins himself as guest of honor. The dam sits about four and a half miles northeast of Glouster in Trimble Township, Athens County, while most of the 664 acre lake stretches north into Morgan County.
The project grew out of two opposite problems in the Sunday Creek valley. Spring floods had hit the Hocking basin for as long as anyone kept records, with 1907 the highest on record and 1913 the flood that pushed Ohio to pass its Conservancy Act. Then the droughts of 1930, 1931 and 1936 left Glouster paying about $10,000 each summer to haul in drinking water. A 1941 survey recommended a multipurpose project on Sunday Creek, and Tom Jenkins is the result. It is a rolled earth dam 84 feet tall, controlling 32.8 square miles of drainage. Water leaves through three sluice gates that discharge into a horseshoe shaped tunnel, and an uncontrolled saddle spillway near the left abutment handles anything beyond that. The Corps bought flowage rights around the lake up to elevation 750 feet, which is the ceiling it planned for when a storm stalls over the watershed. The Corps says the project can supply 8 million gallons of water a day.
On the water, the rule that shapes Burr Oak is the motor limit. Boats with motors up to 10 horsepower run freely; anything bigger must stay at idle or at a speed that leaves no wake anywhere within the park, and jet drive boats are not allowed. That keeps the lake quiet for fishing. ODNR handles fish management and lists largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and channel catfish as the main catches, and the Corps notes the state has stocked saugeye fry and channel catfish. There are single lane launches at Dock 1, which has the marina and fuel, Dock 3 and Dock 4, plus a gravel ramp by Burr Oak Lodge, and a 500 foot public beach on the north shore. The gauge panel on this page covers only recent years: its high is 730.09 feet, set in 2026, and its low is 720.65 feet, from 2024.
Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak) — frequently asked
Is Burr Oak Lake the same as Tom Jenkins Lake?
Yes. Tom Jenkins Dam is the Corps of Engineers structure on the East Branch of Sunday Creek, and Burr Oak Lake is the 664 acre reservoir behind it. The project was authorized in 1944 as the Burr Oak Dam and Reservoir. Congress later renamed the dam for Congressman Thomas A. Jenkins of Ohio's 10th district, but the lake and the state park kept the Burr Oak name.
Who operates Tom Jenkins Dam?
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and runs the dam itself, and the project is listed under its Huntington District. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources runs Burr Oak State Park, the lodge, the docks and launch ramps, and it is also responsible for fish and wildlife management on the lake. The dam has day use shelters, and the Buckeye Trail can be reached from both ends of it.
What is the horsepower limit on Burr Oak Lake?
Ten horsepower. Under Ohio Administrative Code rule 1501:47-3-37, a boat with more than 10 horsepower of motors may operate inside Burr Oak State Park only at idle speed or at a speed that makes no wake. ODNR's park page also states that jet drive boats are not permitted. In practice that means small fishing boats, pontoons running slow, kayaks and canoes.
When was Tom Jenkins Dam built?
Construction began in March 1948, two months after Ohio and the federal government agreed to share the roughly $2 million cost. The creek was closed off in November 1948 and the Corps finished the dam on 3 February 1950. The state park was dedicated in 1952, and its grand opening was held on 12 October that year with Congressman Jenkins in attendance.
How high can Burr Oak Lake rise?
The Corps bought rights to flood the land around the lake up to elevation 750 feet, so that is the upper limit planned for flood storage. The highest reading on this page's recent gauge panel is 730.09 feet in 2026, and the lowest is 720.65 feet in 2024. That panel only covers recent years, so it is not a full record of the lake's history.
What fish are in Burr Oak Lake?
ODNR lists largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and channel catfish as the lake's main fishery, and the Corps adds perch and notes that the state has stocked saugeye fry and channel catfish. Shoreline fishing is allowed, but fishing from the rented seasonal docks is not. Anyone 16 or older needs an Ohio fishing license.
Why was Tom Jenkins Dam built?
It was built for flooding and for drought. Sunday Creek and the Hocking basin had a long history of spring floods, and the dry summers of 1930, 1931 and 1936 forced Glouster to spend about $10,000 a year hauling drinking water. A 1941 survey recommended a multipurpose dam on Sunday Creek, and that became Tom Jenkins. The Corps says the project can supply 8 million gallons of water a day.
Other lakes near Tom Jenkins Lake (Burr Oak)
- Wills Creek LakeOH
- Tappan LakeOH
- Alum Creek LakeOH
- Senecaville LakeOH
- Atwood LakeOH
- Pleasant Hill LakeOH
See current levels for all 16 Ohio lakes and reservoirs →
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