Keuka Lake Association

The water level in Keuka Lake is often a topic of conversation and debate around the lake. One often hears from lakeshore owners the "lake is too high!" or the "lake is too low!" sometimes in the same day! Why do people have different perceptions of where the lake should be? Hard to say, but many people seem to reflect on previous years or at what level they set their dock that spring.

To determine whether the lake is in fact too high or too low, people need to compare the current day's lake level with the "Keuka Lake Level Guide" or guide curves. The water level readings are taken at the Penn Yan Water Plant, and updated every two hours on the KLA's website shown above. This is the official level used by the Keuka Lake Outlet Compact (KLOC) to manage lake levels. The guide curves illustrate the maximum and minimum desirable lake levels for the entire year. Ideally, the lake level on any given day should fall between the maximum and minimum guide objectives. During the summer, the maximum desirable level is 714.2 and the minimum is 713.7 feet above sea level, shown per NGVD29 data. On September 15, 2021 for example, the water level was 714.67; an acceptable level between the minimum and maximum. Just place your cursor on the appropriate year's lake level curve for the desired date, and the actual average lake level for that date will be shown. In addition, also shown in the upper left corner above, the actual outlet control gate settings and the resulting total amount of water discharge (in cubic feet per second - cfs), are also shown. To better understand how water discharge flow through the gates is calculated for any gate settings or water level, refer to the related page described as Keuka Lake Calculating total discharge.

Who manages the lake level and how do they do it?
The KLOC (Keuka Lake Outlet Compact), an inter-municipal corporation consisting of representatives from the eight municipalities around the lake shoreline, has ultimate responsibility for management of water levels and upkeep of the outlet gates. The recommended process for daily operation and management of the gates is outlined in the "Reservoir Regulation Manual-Keuka Lake Outlet" (developed by the Army Corps of Engineers), which describes the purpose and the procedures for maintaining the lake level. The Chair of the KLOC and the Director of Public Works for the village of Penn Yan (contracted to operate the outlet gates) consult on a regular basis to determine if the gate settings need to be changed to increase or decrease the outflow or discharge of water from the lake. Representatives from the KLA attend all KLOC meetings and provide appropriate input in the best interest of their members and the general public.