Cottonwood Springs Lake Water Level
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · South Dakota
Latest reading Oct 26, 9:00 AM · elevation
Cottonwood Springs Lake is 26.7 ft below full pool today (3,848.26 ft vs 3,875.00 ft), 4.8 ft lower than a year ago. It is 20% full. It has fallen 0.01 ft since yesterday and is down 0.09 ft over 7 days.
Water level chart
ft above sea levelFull pool (3,875.0 ft) is 26.7 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Full pool (3,875.0 ft) is 26.7 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Full pool (3,875.0 ft) is 26.7 ft above the latest reading, off this chart
Reading
Cottonwood Springs Lake fishing report & conditions
updated Oct 26, 12:50 PM ETLake 26.7 ft below full pool and steady, light ENE wind — good fall fishing day (7/10), best window 7:38 AM–8:38 AM (moonset near sunrise).
- Water temp—no water-temperature sensor on this water yet
- Air temphigh 39°F / low 34°FLight Snow then Areas Of Fog
- WindLight ENE8–10 mph 6 AM–6 PM, gusts to 20
- Level26.7 ft below full poolLevel steady (−0.01 ft in 24 h)
Official South Dakota fishing info: South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks — Fishery survey reports
Best fishing times today
Today is a good fishing day (solunar + local conditions)
7/10
Full moon · 99% lit · New moon Mon, Nov 9 · Sunrise 7:22 AM · Sunset 5:53 PM
Major fishing times
- Moon underfoot12:04 PM–2:04 PM
Minor fishing times
- Moonset7:38 AM–8:38 AMSunrise
- Moonrise5:21 PM–6:21 PMSunset
Fishing times for the next 7 days
| TodayOct 26 | 7/10Good | Major 12:04 PM–2:04 PM Minor 7:38 AM–8:38 AM · 5:21 PM–6:21 PM Light wind 8–10 mph |
|---|---|---|
| TueOct 27 | 4/10Fair | Major 12:33 AM–2:33 AM · 1:03 PM–3:03 PM Minor 8:59 AM–9:59 AM · 6:00 PM–7:00 PM Moderate wind 5–24 mph |
| WedOct 28 | 3/10Poor | Major 1:34 AM–3:34 AM · 2:06 PM–4:06 PM Minor 10:18 AM–11:18 AM · 6:51 PM–7:51 PM Light wind 5–14 mph |
| ThuOct 29 | 5/10Fair | Major 2:38 AM–4:38 AM · 3:11 PM–5:11 PM Minor 11:28 AM–12:28 PM · 7:53 PM–8:53 PM Light wind 2–8 mph |
| FriOct 30 | 4/10Fair | Major 3:43 AM–5:43 AM · 4:14 PM–6:14 PM Minor 12:26 PM–1:26 PM · 9:06 PM–10:06 PM Light wind 4–10 mph |
| SatOct 31 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:45 AM–6:45 AM · 5:14 PM–7:14 PM Minor 1:11 PM–2:11 PM · 10:24 PM–11:24 PM Light wind 2–8 mph |
| SunNov 1 | 5/10Fair | Major 4:42 AM–6:42 AM · 5:09 PM–7:09 PM Minor 12:45 PM–1:45 PM · 10:42 PM–11:42 PM Light wind 4–12 mph |
How this rating works
Solunar theory says fish feed more when the moon is overhead or underfoot (major periods, about 2 hours) and around moonrise and moonset (minor periods, about 1 hour). On a lake or river there is no tide, so instead of tide changes we score the local conditions anglers watch: the barometric pressure trend, the wind, whether the lake level is steady, and the water temperature where it is measured.
| Base | every day starts at 1 | 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise / sunset | a period overlaps sunrise or sunset ±1 h: major +2, minor +1 (max 3) (Moonset × sunrise +1; Moonrise × sunset +1) | 2 |
| Moon phase | within 2 days of a new or full moon +2, within 4 days +1 (today: 0.5 days) | 2 |
| Local conditions | pressure 6 AM→6 PM: falling +2, steady or slowly rising +1, rising fast 0 · daytime wind 4–15 mph +1, over 20 mph (or gusts over 30) −1 · level within ±0.25 ft in 24 h +1 · water 55–75°F +1, below 45°F or above 85°F −1 (0 to 4 in total)
| 2 |
| Today | 7, rounded | 7/10 |
1–3 poor · 4–5 fair · 6–7 good · 8–10 excellent. Pressure and wind are the NOAA National Weather Service hourly forecast for this spot; the level/flow trend is the latest 24 hours of readings on this page. Days 2–7 score sun, moon, forecast pressure and forecast wind only (level and water temperature aren’t forecast). Solunar times are a rule of thumb, not a guarantee.
Solunar periods calculated for 43.44, -103.57 (moon times from astronomical equations, Cottonwood Springs Lake local time).
Weather & wind at Cottonwood Springs Lake
air temperature, not water3-day forecast
- Today39° / 34°Light Snow then Areas Of FogWind E 9 mphRain 76%
- Tuesday65° / 41°Areas Of Fog then Mostly SunnyWind W 5 to 24 mphRain 4%
- Wednesday62° / 39°SunnyWind NW 6 to 14 mphRain 1%
NOAA National Weather Service forecast for 43.439, -103.567 (grid UNR), issued Oct 26, 10:21 AM local time. High / low are air temperatures; water temperature is in the fishing section above. The “Air temp & weather” tile at the top refreshes live.
Past 12 months
daily readings from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers- Today3,848.26 ft
- Same date last year3,853.03 ft−4.8 ft change
- 12-month high3,853.50 ftApr 23, 2026
- 12-month low3,848.26 ftOct 26, 2026
- Full pool3,875.00 ftUSACE
Last 10 days
| Date | Level (ft) | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 26 (today) | 3,848.26 | −0.01 |
| Sun Oct 25 | 3,848.27 | −0.02 |
| Sat Oct 24 | 3,848.29 | −0.01 |
| Fri Oct 23 | 3,848.30 | −0.01 |
| Thu Oct 22 | 3,848.31 | −0.01 |
| Wed Oct 21 | 3,848.32 | −0.01 |
| Tue Oct 20 | 3,848.33 | −0.02 |
| Mon Oct 19 | 3,848.35 | −0.01 |
| Sun Oct 18 | 3,848.36 | −0.02 |
| Sat Oct 17 | 3,848.38 | −0.01 |
Daily mean of all readings that day; today is the average so far.
Nearby lakes & rivers
About this data
- Source
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Cottonwood Springs Dam & Res
- Location
- 43.4387, -103.5666 · South Dakota
- Measures
- Reservoir water-surface elevation, feet above sea level
- Latest reading
- Oct 26, 9:00 AM local time
- History
- 400 days on file since 2025-09-21
- Page built
- Oct 26, 2026 12:50 PM ET
- Full pool
- 3,875.00 ft — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Top of Conservation)
- Storage
- 132 of 662 acre-ft (Top of Conservation)
Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (official page). Operator data is preliminary and may be revised. Weather: NOAA National Weather Service.