Lake Of The Ozarks Water Level Update: Here’s How Recent Flooding Affected The Lake Level

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. — Powerful storms and regional flooding hit the Lake area over the past week, with more rain expected on Friday, April 24. The result: Bagnell Dam operators have been running the dam hard, and the Lake level continues to slowly climb.

The Lake of the Ozarks water level measured at Bagnell Dam as of Thursday, April 23 was just shy of 657 feet (measured as height above sea level). That’s three feet above the wintertime low, when Ameren draws down the water level in anticipation of spring rains. It’s also three feet lower than the summertime “full pool” level of 659, which is where Ameren aims to keep the Lake level.

After the heavy rains on Friday, April 17, the water level rose over 658, but Ameren has already lowered the Lake level substantially since then, in anticipation of more spring rains — like those forecast for Friday, April 24.

Still, the water level is trending upward, and Ameren has kept the climb controlled by letting large amounts of water through the dam’s turbines. The dam’s eight turbines have been running at nearly full-capacity over the past week; on Thursday, Ameren reported the water flow was approximately 34,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). The turbines are capable of passing about 40,000 cfs without use of the floodgates.

Ameren says the Lake level will continue trending upward, with an expectation of reaching 658 in the next couple of weeks. The dam operators target mid-May for full pool, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend, one of the biggest weekends of the year on the Lake.

The water temperature as of April 22 was 64 degrees.