Lake Elevation vs. River Stage

River stage (also called gage height) is the height of a river’s surface above an arbitrary zero point chosen for that particular gauge. A stage of 8 ft at one river gauge has no relationship to 8 ft at another, and it is not a sea-level elevation.

Lake surface elevation is measured against a vertical datum such as mean sea level, so it can be compared with reference levels like “full pool” and with readings from other years.

Because the two measurements answer different questions, this site never substitutes a nearby river gauge for a lake level. If a lake has no lake-elevation gauge, we say so rather than show a misleading number.

For flood stages and river forecasts, use the National Weather Service’s National Water Prediction Service.