Big Sandy Lake water level: Big Sandy 
Full
Big Sandy Lake is at full pool, much higher than usual for early November. The Big Sandy Lake Dam gauge read 1,216.21 ft at 8:15 AM CST, November 4, 2026.
How Big Sandy stands today
- 1,216.21 Feet above sea level8:15 AM CST, November 4, 2026, NGVD29 datum.
- +0.36 Feet from full poolFull pool today is 1,215.85 ft; it rises to 1,216.31 ft in the high season.
- +0.39 Feet from normal for Nov 4Median of 2015–2025 is 1,215.82 ft. Today ranks in the 91st percentile.
- +0.55 Feet from a year ago1,215.66 ft on November 4, 2025.
- +0.15 Feet over 30 days+0.20 ft over the past 7 days.
The past year, day by day
The shaded band is where Big Sandy usually sits on each date: the middle 80% of years from 2015 to 2025. The blue line is the past 12 months; the sand line is the 12 months before. Hover or use the arrow keys to read any day.
- Past 12 months
- The 12 months before
- Normal range (middle 80% of years)
- Median
- Full pool
Monthly average since 2015
Readings for the last 30 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Normal (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2026 | 1,216.20 | 1,215.82 |
| November 3, 2026 | 1,216.13 | 1,215.85 |
| November 2, 2026 | 1,216.08 | 1,215.89 |
| November 1, 2026 | 1,216.02 | 1,215.92 |
| October 31, 2026 | 1,216.02 | 1,215.92 |
| October 30, 2026 | 1,216.02 | 1,215.93 |
| October 29, 2026 | 1,216.01 | 1,215.96 |
| October 28, 2026 | 1,216.01 | 1,216.00 |
| October 27, 2026 | 1,216.00 | 1,215.98 |
| October 26, 2026 | 1,215.97 | 1,215.96 |
| October 25, 2026 | 1,215.98 | 1,215.98 |
| October 24, 2026 | 1,215.99 | 1,215.99 |
| October 23, 2026 | 1,215.98 | 1,216.01 |
| October 22, 2026 | 1,215.97 | 1,216.02 |
| October 21, 2026 | 1,215.97 | 1,216.04 |
| Date | Level (ft) | Normal (ft) |
|---|---|---|
| October 20, 2026 | 1,215.98 | 1,216.05 |
| October 19, 2026 | 1,215.98 | 1,216.07 |
| October 18, 2026 | 1,215.99 | 1,216.08 |
| October 17, 2026 | 1,216.01 | 1,216.10 |
| October 16, 2026 | 1,215.99 | 1,216.12 |
| October 15, 2026 | 1,216.00 | 1,216.13 |
| October 14, 2026 | 1,216.00 | 1,216.15 |
| October 13, 2026 | 1,216.01 | 1,216.16 |
| October 12, 2026 | 1,216.01 | 1,216.18 |
| October 11, 2026 | 1,216.02 | 1,216.19 |
| October 10, 2026 | 1,216.04 | 1,216.20 |
| October 9, 2026 | 1,216.03 | 1,216.22 |
| October 8, 2026 | 1,216.03 | 1,216.23 |
| October 7, 2026 | 1,216.03 | 1,216.24 |
| October 6, 2026 | 1,216.05 | 1,216.20 |
Is the water above your dock?
Enter the elevation of your dock, ramp end or a mark on your shoreline, in feet above sea level (NGVD29, the datum the Army Corps of Engineers uses for this gauge). You will see how far the water is above or below it today, and how often it dipped below it in each month since 2016.
| Month | Low year (10th %) | Median | High year (90th %) | Days above your mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1,214.59 | 1,214.92 | 1,215.18 | — |
| February | 1,214.46 | 1,214.55 | 1,214.68 | — |
| March | 1,214.36 | 1,214.51 | 1,215.38 | — |
| April | 1,214.62 | 1,216.25 | 1,217.66 | — |
| May | 1,216.29 | 1,216.40 | 1,218.15 | — |
| June | 1,216.24 | 1,216.34 | 1,216.53 | — |
| July | 1,216.10 | 1,216.34 | 1,216.53 | — |
| August | 1,215.79 | 1,216.29 | 1,216.44 | — |
| September | 1,215.71 | 1,216.29 | 1,216.42 | — |
| October | 1,215.76 | 1,216.07 | 1,216.40 | — |
| November | 1,215.44 | 1,215.71 | 1,216.00 | — |
| December | 1,215.14 | 1,215.32 | 1,215.51 | — |
Other Minnesota lakes, lowest first
| Lake | Level (ft) | Vs full pool |
|---|---|---|
| Lac qui Parle | 934.22 | At pool |
| Lake Traverse | 976.94 | At pool |
 Leech Lake | 1,294.48 | At pool |
| Pokegama Lake | 1,272.92 | 0.8 ft below |
 Gull Lake | 1,194.13 | At pool |
 Lake Winnibigoshish | 1,298.26 | At pool |
| Cross Lake (Pine River) | 1,229.28 | At pool |
Big Sandy questions
What is full pool at Big Sandy Lake?
Full pool at Big Sandy Lake is 1,215.85 ft above sea level today. The Army Corps of Engineers changes it through the year, up to 1,216.31 ft in the high season. The agency's own term for it is “top of conservation.”
Is Big Sandy Lake full right now?
Yes. At 1,216.21 ft it is within half a foot of full pool.
Is Big Sandy Lake lower than normal for early November?
No, it is higher than normal. The median level on Nov 4 across 2015–2025 is 1,215.82 ft, and today's 1,216.21 ft is +0.39 ft from it. In 8 of 10 years the level on this date fell between 1,215.70 and 1,215.98 ft.
How does Big Sandy Lake compare with last year?
A year ago, on November 4, 2025, it stood at 1,215.66 ft. It is 0.55 ft higher now.
What are the highest and lowest levels since 2015?
In the daily record we hold, which starts in 2015, the highest daily level was 1,220.76 ft on April 28, 2023 and the lowest was 1,214.13 ft on April 8, 2023.
How often is this page updated?
We pull new readings from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers several times a day. This page was last rebuilt on Wed, 04 Nov 2026 15:13:17 UTC. Readings are provisional and can be revised by the agency.