How low does Lake Ray Hubbard have to get before Rockwall closes the State Highway 66 boat ramp? Only one answer is on record. In August 2013, after safety complaints, the city closed the ramp. At the time the City of Dallas said the lake was 4.66 feet below normal.
On September 30, 2026, the Texas Water Development Board put the lake at 431.62 feet. That is 3.88 feet below its 435.5-foot conservation pool. Dallas measured its 2013 figure against "normal," and the state measures today's level against the conservation pool. The two numbers don't share a stated baseline, but they describe a lake in roughly the same condition. On June 30 it was essentially full.
Three Months, Nearly Four Feet
The state's reservoir data shows a steady summer drop. September fell faster than the summer average.
| Date | Mean water level | Percent full |
|---|---|---|
| June 30, 2026 | 435.47 ft | 99.9% |
| August 30, 2026 | 433.14 ft | 89.2% |
| September 23, 2026 | 431.99 ft | 84.0% |
| September 30, 2026 | 431.62 ft | 82.4% |
| September 30, 2025 | 434.27 ft | 94.3% |
From June 30 to August 30, the lake lost 2.33 feet. That works out to a little under 1.2 feet a month. Then it lost 1.52 feet in September alone, including 0.37 feet in the final week. Today it sits more than two and a half feet below where it was on the same date in 2025.
The state labels these readings provisional averages. The board's near-real-time gauge shows the level changing hour to hour. Check the live gauge before you hitch up a trailer.
The 2013 closure is a reference point, not a rule. The city has never published a level that triggers a ramp closure. In 2013, the ramp closed after complaints about safety. Each week the level keeps falling at September's pace brings the lake closer to what boaters saw that August.
A Dallas Reservoir With a Rockwall Shoreline
The lake that fills Rockwall's views belongs to the City of Dallas. Dallas Water Utilities operates it for city and industrial water supply, flood control, and recreation. So the lake's level depends on Dallas's summer.
This summer was hard on it. In its September 2026 update, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said hot, dry weather had erased most of the gains from an exceptionally wet late spring and early summer. As of September 5, DFW had gone 52 days in a row without measurable rain, tying the seventh-longest streak on record. Dallas Water Utilities normally treats and delivers nearly 400 million gallons a day. This summer it reported daily use above 600 million gallons. The utility hasn't tied that demand to the lake's drop. Still, both numbers describe the same dry summer.
None of this affects Rockwall or Heath tap water. The City of Heath says Heath buys its water from the City of Rockwall, a member of the North Texas Municipal Water District. The district draws from Bois d'Arc Lake, the East Fork Reuse Project, and its water rights in Lavon, Texoma, Chapman, and Tawakoni. Heath states that the district does not draw from Lake Ray Hubbard, and that the lake's level does not affect conservation needs in member cities.
The new Dallas rules also stop at the city line. Dallas revised its water conservation ordinance in May 2026, and automatic sprinklers are now banned from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. all year instead of only from April through October. Those rules apply to Dallas customers. For people in Rockwall, the low lake affects boat trailers, docks, and the stretch of shore between the backyard and the water, while their water supply comes from somewhere else.
The Harbor Was Already Off the Map
In most years, the low lake would be the only fall boating story. This year it adds to a problem that started earlier. Storm damage to the docks at The Harbor began in March 2025 and continued over the following year, according to the Rockwall Herald-Banner.
Crews from All-In Marine are now installing a 650-foot attenuator, a barrier meant to protect the dock system from rough water. The new docks will be built behind it. The first dock sections were expected within a few months of the September report. The project is expected to be finished and running by next spring. The Harbor said it is encouraged by the progress and looks forward to welcoming boaters back.
Counting from a September 2026 report, "next spring" means spring 2027, and until then nobody will be pulling up to The Harbor by boat. The waterfront still has a full fall calendar, but you'll get there by car.
Where the Boat Goes In This Fall
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department lists four ramps on the Rockwall and Heath side that are open year-round.
- State Highway 66 ramp, City of Rockwall. Free and public, with two single-lane ramps, one double-lane ramp, and parking for up to 40 vehicles. This is the ramp that closed in 2013. In July 2025, the city asked for public input on parking and site improvements there. That notice did not announce a closure.
- Terry Park, City of Heath. Free and public, with a two-lane ramp, courtesy docks, and parking for 30 vehicles.
- Chandler's Landing. A private two-lane ramp that charges a launch fee. Call ahead for the current rate.
- Harbor Bay Marina. Also a private two-lane ramp with a launch fee. Call ahead here too.
Terry Park has one new addition this year. In August 2026, Heath opened a free loaner life-jacket station there. It's stocked with Coast Guard-approved jackets in several sizes through the city's partnership with Cook Children's. Mayor Jeremiah McClure called it another water-safety resource for families. Park Board Chair Justin Holland said the partnership helps people enjoy Heath's parks and the lake safely.
TPWD's "year-round" label tells you how a ramp normally operates. It doesn't report day-to-day conditions. As of today, we found no 2026 closure notice for any of these ramps.
What Shows Up When the Water Drops
The 2013 coverage also explains why a lower lake matters even when the ramps are open. Lakeside residents described what came out of the water as it dropped.
"There's a lot of structure in the water-stumps and when the water gets this low, really, quite frankly it's kind of dangerous."
Dave Fossier, a Rockwall resident who lived on the lake, speaking to NBC 5 in August 2013
Fossier also described an old road near the SH 66 ramp that starts to show as the water drops. He said boaters who launched and headed south would sometimes run over it and end up with large repair bills. This October, the lake is low enough that his warning applies again. Run slow near the SH 66 launch until you're in water you know.
During the 2013 closure, the nearest public alternative was Robertson Park on Dalrock Road, south of Interstate 30. Today, Terry Park in Heath gives Rockwall-side boaters a public option on their own side of the lake.
What Refills It, and What to Do Until Then
The Weather Service forecast offers a slow kind of relief. El Niño is strengthening and is expected to become a very strong event this fall and winter. In North Texas, El Niño's wetter pattern usually arrives later in the fall and especially in winter. Until then, the Climate Prediction Center expects drought to continue through the rest of the warm season. The lake could keep dropping through October before winter rain has a chance to bring it back up.
That timing matches The Harbor's schedule. If the wet winter arrives as forecast and the docks finish on time, spring 2027 could bring the lake back up and the docks back into use.
October at The Harbor is still busy on land:
- Concert by the Lake runs Thursdays at The Harbor Amphitheater, 2059 Summer Lee Drive, on October 8, 15, 22, and 29. Kraig Parker opens the series, followed by the Buffett Beach Band and Def Leggend. The Rockwall Philharmonic Orchestra closes it with the Halloween-themed "Spooky Nights and Pumpkin Lights."
- The Rubber Duck Regatta returns to The Harbor on October 10 with a new format. Duck entries are free, family packages go to the first three ducks across the line, and the prize package now includes a Jeep Wrangler, a WaveRunner, and cash. The Jeep has moved to Driving For Good, a separate sweepstakes presented by Group 1 CDJR in Rockwall, which runs from September 30 through March 23.
If you own on the water, a season like this shows up in your listing photos, your dock access, and buyers' questions about the shoreline. The Agency Rockwall tracks lake conditions alongside sales data so lakefront owners know how the water level will read to buyers before they list. Request a Complimentary Home Valuation, and we'll walk you through how your shoreline compares this fall versus next spring.
