Independence Lake near Truckee water level

Name: Independence Lake near Truckee water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

Lake, Independence Lake, California, United States

Directions

Latest reading

Surface elevation

6,947.59ft Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 PM PDT (27 min ago)

Water stored: 14,910 acre‑ft

History

7 days

Surface elevation

What this means

The U.S. Geological Survey reports Independence Lake near Truckee at 6,947.59 ft. There is no published reference for this lake yet, so we can't say whether that is high or low for the season.

It is still going down, by 0.08 ft over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 6,947.59 ft – 6,947.81 ft.

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only. How to read levels

Boating and fishing at Independence Lake near Truckee

Use the recent trend to judge conditions. A fast rise or fall shows up at docks and beaches within days.

Conditions at the shore change with the level, so check with the agency that runs the lake before a trip.

What happens at each level

6,950.38 ft: Record highest elevation; 6/5/2002. Contents: 18300 acre feet.
6,950.00 ft: Flood Stage...minor flooding around Independence Lake. Contents: 18000 acre feet.
6,949.00 ft: Monitor stage. Normal maximum storage level. Contents: 17300 acre feet.
6,947.59 ft: Right now
6,946.25 ft: Flood Control Pool Elevation. Contents: 15400 acre feet.
6,929.39 ft: Record minimum elevation, 11/10-11/1988. Contents: 4750 acre feet.
6,921.00 ft: Invert of outlet gate, no usuable storage.

Impact statements from the U.S. National Weather Service.

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

18 Sun 62° 44° – Wind 13 mph

19 Mon 56° 43° – Wind 20 mph

20 Tue 57° 39° 0.00 in, 35% Wind 14 mph

21 Wed 53° 32° 0.19 in, 78% Wind 8 mph

22 Thu 49° 33° 0.20 in, 64% Wind 9 mph

23 Fri 52° 29° 0.02 in, 28% Wind 8 mph

24 Sat 59° 28° – Wind 6 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:16 AM Sunset 06:18 PM Daylight 11 hr, 2 min First quarter 63%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Independence Creek near TruckeeRiver gauge, Independence Creek	2.49 ft	Below flood stage	−0.25 ft	0.4 mi
Sagehen Creek near TruckeeRiver gauge, Sagehen Creek	1.9 cfs	Low	±0	3.1 mi
Donner C A Donner Lake near TruckeeRiver gauge, Donner C A Donner Lake	3.86 ft	Below flood stage	+0.87 ft	9 mi
Donner Creek at Highway 89 near TruckeeRiver gauge, Donner Creek	3.30 ft	Below flood stage	+1.07 ft	10 mi
Prosser Creek below Prosser C Dam near TruckeeRiver gauge, Prosser Creek	75.2 cfs	Normal	+3.3 cfs	10 mi
Little Truckee River above Boca Reservoir near TruckeeRiver gauge, Little Truckee River	83.9 cfs	Normal	+41.6 cfs	11 mi
Boca Reservoir near TruckeeReservoir, Boca Reservoir	5,570.22 ft	Below flood stage	−0.63 ft	11 mi
Little Truckee River below Boca Dam near TruckeeRiver gauge, Little Truckee River	200 cfs	High	−5.0 cfs	11 mi

Questions and answers

Is Independence Lake near Truckee really 6,947.59 ft deep?

No. 6,947.59 ft is the height of the water surface above sea level (or the agency's vertical datum), not the depth of the water.

What is the water level of Independence Lake near Truckee today?

On Oct 19, 2026, 04:00 PM PDT, the surface elevation was 6,947.59 ft. Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is Independence Lake near Truckee rising or falling?

Down 0.08 ft over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Independence Lake near Truckee normal?

The agency publishes no normal range for this gauge yet, so we show the trend only.

How often is this data updated?

The U.S. Geological Survey publishes a new reading every 15 minutes. This page refreshes within minutes of each update.

Where does this data come from?

The values come directly from the U.S. Geological Survey, the official operator of this gauge, and are in the public domain. We do not estimate or model live values.

For specialists

Station codes, datum, parameters, data quality and downloads

Operator: U.S. Geological Survey
Station code: usgs:10342900 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 39.45182, -120.29073 (WGS84)
Vertical datum: NAVD88
Update interval: every 15 minutes
Licence: Public domain. Data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), provisional data subject to revision

Published series

Parameter	Last value	Time (UTC)	Quality
Surface elevation	6,947.59 ft	2026-10-19 23:00	Provisional
Water stored	14,910 acre‑ft	2026-10-19 23:00	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Independence Lake near Truckee (usgs:10342900). Accessed October 19, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/california/independence-lake-near-truckee

How we check values

Each reading is stored as published. We hold back values that jump faster than physically plausible and show the measurement time with every value.

Readings are provisional, can be delayed or wrong and are not a flood warning. Read the disclaimer