Lake Views Leave Out the Moving Numbers

A lake can look steady from the porch while its useful numbers keep moving. Water Data for Texas has reservoir pages for Possum Kingdom and Lake Palo Pinto. Each one lists percent full, water level, storage, capacity, and surface area.

Percent full compares the water stored for normal use with the amount that part of the reservoir can hold. It leaves out the extra space set aside for floods. The tables place the current reading beside yesterday, last week, last month, several earlier months, and one year ago.

Look at those numbers before dock work, a boat trip, or a choice that depends on water access. They can explain a dry-looking cove without turning one day's view into a long-term claim. The readings are provisional and may be revised, so an old screenshot can age fast.

Here, lake water does three jobs at once: scenery, recreation, and supply. The moving numbers tie them together.