Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown water level

Name: Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown water level (U.S. Geological Survey)
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
License: https://www.usgs.gov/information-policies-and-instructions/copyrights-and-credits

Lake, Lake Kampeska, South Dakota, United States

Directions

Normal for late October

Surface elevation

1,718.40ft Steady over the last 24 hours

Measured Oct 21, 2026, 04:15 AM CDT (1 hour ago)

Water level: 17.41 ft

History

7 days

Surface elevation

What this means

The lake level at Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown reads 1,718.40 ft, about where it usually sits at this time of year.

It has barely moved over the past 24 hours. The 30-day range is 1,718.38 ft – 1,718.52 ft.

Lakes and reservoirs often sit lower in fall after a summer of evaporation and use, and recover with winter rain and spring snowmelt.

Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year. How to read levels

Boating and fishing at Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown

A lake in its usual range is what most ramps, docks and swimming areas are built for.

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

1,718.40 ft: Right now
22.50 ft: Water reaches the bottom of the bridge at the Inlet/Outlet, and several homes and businesses will begin to flood
22.00 ft: Parking lots and some garages and outbuildings begin to flood
21.00 ft: Yards around the lake begin to flood
18.20 ft: Lake outlet elevation
17.80 ft: Full level of the lake

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

Weather at the gauge

No rain in the last 3 days.

21 Wed 70° 44° – Wind 9 mph

22 Thu 72° 42° – Wind 11 mph

23 Fri 76° 59° 0.06 in, 22% Wind 23 mph

24 Sat 71° 53° 0.02 in Wind 22 mph

25 Sun 52° 33° 0.56 in, 35% Wind 14 mph

26 Mon 40° 32° 0.10 in, 35% Wind 14 mph

27 Tue 41° 28° – Wind 10 mph

Forecast: Open-Meteo

Sunrise 07:53 AM Sunset 06:35 PM Daylight 10 hr, 43 min Waxing gibbous 76%

Map

Nearby gauges

Gauge	Level	Compared with normal	24 hours	Distance
Big Sioux River at Lake Kampeska near WatertownRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	18.54 ft	Below flood stage	±0	2.5 mi
Big Sioux River at WatertownRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	3.15 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	2.7 mi
Big Sioux River at Broadway at WatertownRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	5.03 ft	Below flood stage	−0.02 ft	3.9 mi
South Branch Tributary Mud Creek near RauvilleRiver gauge, South Branch Tributary Mud Creek	0.19 ft	Below flood stage	−0.06 ft	4.7 mi
Big Sioux River near WatertownRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	3.81 ft	Very low	−0.01 ft	6 mi
Willow Creek near WatertownRiver gauge, Willow Creek	5.63 ft	Below flood stage	−0.10 ft	7 mi
Mud Creek near RauvilleRiver gauge, Mud Creek	7.65 ft	Below flood stage	+0.01 ft	7 mi
Big Sioux River below WatertownRiver gauge, Big Sioux River	4.47 ft	Below flood stage	−0.01 ft	8 mi

Questions and answers

Is Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown really 1,718.40 ft deep?

No. 1,718.40 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 Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown today?

On Oct 21, 2026, 04:15 AM CDT, the surface elevation was 1,718.40 ft. Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown rising or falling?

Steady over the last 24 hours.

Is the level of Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown normal?

Normal for late October. Compared with 5 years of daily readings for this time of year.

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:06479449 (Agency page)
Coordinates: 44.91728, -97.18708 (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	1,718.40 ft	2026-10-21 09:15	Provisional
Water level	17.41 ft	2026-10-21 09:15	Provisional

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How to cite

U.S. Geological Survey: Lake Kampeska at Water Plant at Watertown (usgs:06479449). Accessed October 21, 2026 via Nivelmap, https://nivelmap.com/en/united-states/south-dakota/lake-kampeska-at-water-plant-at-watertown

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