Navionics Water Level

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JAKEdotBIKE

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Hi group! I've used a variety of maps in the past, but based on recommendations here and elsewhere, I've downloaded the Navionics app for my ipad to use on our trip next week. I'm having trouble with getting the water level right. The "0" position on the water level slider is clearly NOT full pool (i.e., if I set the slider to -65', it does not show the water level today as it shows no water in the Castle Rock Cut). I've seen suggestions that "0" is at around 3600', but that doesn't seem right either.

Anyone here know what lake level "0" represents on the water level slider?

Thanks in advance.
 
I read somewhere that Google Earth satellite images were at 3600ft, but I don't know about the app you're referring to.
 
Meatwagon said:
I read somewhere that Google Earth satellite images were at 3600ft, but I don't know about the app you're referring to.
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Actually, Google Earth images are collected constantly and "stitched" in to the existing mosaic of images once they've been sanitized for public consumption. So, we tend to get new Lake Powell images from different months of the year each time they are refreshed - meaning that as you pan from one end of the lake to the other you may be seeing photos taken on different dates (and different water levels).

When you're in Google Earth, you can look at the bottom of the screen to find the image date. Then you could use the Lake Powell Water Database to lookup the water level from that time period. There's also a "Historical Imagery" button that will let you travel back through time and see the previous images collected from the same area you are currently viewing. Fun stuff, but sadly there is no reference water level tied to any of it.
 
I can confirm that it is 3603' (per calling them personally a couple of years ago).

Here is the email reply from Navionics customer support in November 2014. I followed up with a telephone call which is where the 3603' mentioned came from.

Hi Doug,

Lake Powell, AZ was originally surveyed between the Pool elevation of 3597.85 - 3609.39, but Navionics current charting (not including the SonarCharts) for the freshwater lakes (not including the Great Lakes) are done in full pool elevation.

Seasonal changes or yearly changes to pool elevations - such as spring levels, summer levels, droughts or over abundance - are not reflected on our charting. These differences in pool levels would need to be calculated when reviewing the current lake levels that can be found on the government's website listings for each individual lake. Currently there is no unit function that allows for these calculation changes.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Best regards,
Andrea Monaco
Navionics Customer Service ​
 
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I have the app for my iPhone and when set at max (+50) it is still well below the current level of 3635. Never tried to figure it out but I would believe it is around 3580-3590. I have the lakemaster on my hummingbird and it's pretty close at 3635 when I was there this week, navionics at +50 was showing whales (in many places) where lakemaster was not. Again, this is for iPhone and not iPad.
 
Zman said:
I have the app for my iPhone and when set at max (+50) it is still well below the current level of 3635. Never tried to figure it out but I would believe it is around 3580-3590. I have the lakemaster on my hummingbird and it's pretty close at 3635 when I was there this week, navionics at +50 was showing whales (in many places) where lakemaster was not. Again, this is for iPhone and not iPad.
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This is different than my experience with the Navionics app on my iphone and ipad. On a trip last week I had the app set to +30 and it was right on. The contour depth markings consistently matched what I was seeing on my depth finder. I agree that the Navionics app is set for 3603 feet.
 
Maybe I have a different navionics app as I have seen a few different ones. I paid $9.99 for mine.
 
Zman, do the contour line markings change when you change the water level slider? Or, maybe your app has older chart data and reinstalling it would update this?

The Navionics app I have on the chartplotter on my cruiser has a big annual subscription fee and it doesn't even have the ability to adjust for different lake levels as the iphone/ipad apps do. So, I keep my iphone next to the chartplotter for "fine-tuning" my navigation in shallow waters. I've also added forward looking sonar with an alarm if an obstruction is detected. After grounding my sport boat last year I've added an ipad to that with Navionics. For many years I happily navigated the lake just looking for changes in water color and never hit anything, but last year we grounded twice and now I'm ultra cautious.
 
It does change. One spot that is way off is the warm creek entrance from the main channel. At +38' it shows a squiggly point where all the rock hazards are. With my lakemaster I was in top of that point last week when the water was 3635.
 
If you use the water level slider on the Navionics app please note that while the contour lines on your map change (e.g., setting the slider to 30' will change a particular contour line marking from 20' to 50'), the depth reading brought up by tapping on the map does NOT change (it still says 20'). Obviously, this is a deficiency in the program.
 
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