Norris Lake marina, Norris Dam State Park

TVA and Corps of Engineers lakes

Tennessee Lake Levels: TVA and Corps Lakes

Current levels for the TVA lakes on the Tennessee River system and the Corps of Engineers lakes on the Cumberland, plus TVA’s posted release schedules.

TVA lakes Cumberland lakes Release schedules

Checked every 30 minutes
Elevations in feet above sea level

Photo: Norris Lake marina, Norris Dam State Park. Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0

Map

Tennessee lakes on the map

Lake with a current level

Dam locations; hover or tap a dot for the lake and its latest elevation.

TVA

TVA lake levels in Tennessee

The latest hourly reading TVA has published for each lake.

Source updated Oct 1, 10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT) · Retrieved Oct 1, 11:05 pm ET (10:05 pm CT)

Lake	River	Lake level	Tailwater	Avg. hourly discharge	TVA reading
Norris Lake	Clinch River	1,009.36 ft	827.11 ft	6,689 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Melton Hill Lake	Clinch River	793.51 ft	741.76 ft	9,810 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Cherokee Lake	Holston River	1,057.69 ft	926.13 ft	7,571 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Douglas Lake	French Broad River	975.65 ft	874.03 ft	9,072 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Fort Loudoun Lake	Tennessee River	812.66 ft	741.96 ft	23,043 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Watts Bar Lake	Tennessee River	740.83 ft	681.70 ft	25,670 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Chickamauga Lake	Tennessee River	680.65 ft	636.58 ft	32,825 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Nickajack Lake	Tennessee River	633.10 ft	597.26 ft	30,981 cfs	10/01/2026 9 PM CDT
Pickwick Lake	Tennessee River	412.41 ft	360.25 ft	44,758 cfs	10/01/2026 9 PM CDT
Kentucky Lake	Tennessee River	354.99 ft	303.32 ft	34,810 cfs	10/01/2026 9 PM CDT
Boone Lake	South Fork Holston River	1,377.65 ft	1,261.67 ft	0 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Fort Patrick Henry Lake	South Fork Holston River	1,261.36 ft	1,191.34 ft	352 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
South Holston Lake	South Fork Holston River	1,719.05 ft	1,485.41 ft	10 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Watauga Lake	Watauga River	1,948.61 ft	1,647.83 ft	205 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Tims Ford Lake	Elk River	886.96 ft	743.64 ft	245 cfs	10/01/2026 9 PM CDT
Normandy Lake	Duck River	870.71 ft	790.04 ft	171 cfs	10/01/2026 9 PM CDT
Apalachia Lake	Hiwassee River	1,277.48 ft	840.83 ft	2,899 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Parksville Lake (Ocoee No. 1)	Ocoee River	828.01 ft	714.79 ft	636 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT
Ocoee No. 3 Lake	Ocoee River	1,431.63 ft	1,113.51 ft	0 cfs	10/01/2026 10 PM EDT

Elevations are feet above mean sea level, as TVA reports them.

Corps of Engineers

Cumberland River lake levels

Corps of Engineers, Nashville District lakes, plus TVA’s Great Falls Lake as reported through the Corps.

Source updated Oct 1, 10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT) · Retrieved Oct 1, 11:05 pm ET (10:05 pm CT)

Lake	River	Lake level	Reading
Dale Hollow Lake	Obey River	640.46 ft	10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT)
Center Hill Lake	Caney Fork River	632.37 ft	10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT)
Cordell Hull Lake	Cumberland River	503.49 ft	10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT)
Old Hickory Lake	Cumberland River	444.70 ft	10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT)
J. Percy Priest Lake	Stones River	489.39 ft	10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT)
Cheatham Lake	Cumberland River	384.77 ft	10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT)
Lake Barkley	Cumberland River	355.07 ft	10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT)
Great Falls Lake	Caney Fork River	794.59 ft	10:00 pm ET (9:00 pm CT)

Releases

TVA release schedules

Posted generation and recreation release schedules for the next two weeks.

Retrieved Oct 1, 8:33 pm ET (7:33 pm CT)

Ocoee No. 2 (Middle Ocoee)

Thu, Oct 1: 6-hour day: 10 am – 4 pm
Fri, Oct 2: 6-hour day: 10 am – 4 pm
Sat, Oct 3: 6-hour day: 10 am – 4 pm
Sun, Oct 4: 6-hour day: 10 am – 4 pm
Sat, Oct 10: 6-hour day: 10 am – 4 pm
Sun, Oct 11: 6-hour day: 10 am – 4 pm

Ocoee No. 3 (Upper Ocoee)

TVA had no release schedule posted for the next two weeks at the time of this reading.

Norris Dam (Clinch River)

Sat, Oct 3: Before 10 am minimum flows only; 10 am – 1 pm one generator; 1 pm – 4 pm two generators
Sun, Oct 4: Before 10 am – minimum flow only
Sat, Oct 10: Before 10 am minimum flows only; 10 am – 1 pm one generator; 1 pm – 4 pm two generators
Sun, Oct 11: Before 10 am – minimum flow only

Apalachia Dam (Hiwassee River)

Sat, Oct 3: Before 10 am – min flow only; 10 am – 11 am – one generator; 11 am – 3 pm – two generators
Sun, Oct 4: Before 10 am – min flow only
Sat, Oct 10: Before 10 am – min flow only; 10 am – 11 am – one generator; 11 am – 3 pm – two generators
Sun, Oct 11: Before 10 am – min flow only

Watauga Dam (Watauga River)

Sat, Oct 3: 1 pm – 6 pm one generator (minimum)
Sat, Oct 10: 1 pm – 6 pm one generator (minimum)

TVA posts these schedules ahead of time and can change them without notice.

Lakes

Each Tennessee lake level

One page per lake with its level, 24-hour change, release schedule and weather.

Tennessee lake level questions

What are Tennessee lake levels today?

Latest elevations above sea level from TVA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Norris Lake 1,009.36 ft, Cherokee Lake 1,057.69 ft, Douglas Lake 975.65 ft, Fort Loudoun Lake 812.66 ft, Watts Bar Lake 740.83 ft, Chickamauga Lake 680.65 ft, Dale Hollow Lake 640.46 ft, and Center Hill Lake 632.37 ft. The lakes page lists every reservoir with its reading time.

Where do the TVA lake levels come from?

TVA’s published observed data for each dam: lake elevation, tailwater elevation and average hourly discharge.

Where do the Cumberland lake levels come from?

The Corps of Engineers water data system for the Nashville District.

Why are lake levels lower in winter?

TVA and the Corps draw many lakes down in fall to make room for winter and spring rain, then fill them in spring.

What is tailwater?

The water level just below the dam. It rises when the dam releases more water.

When is the Ocoee released for rafting?

See the Ocoee No. 2 schedule above. TVA posts recreation release days and hours ahead of time.

Can release schedules change?

Yes. TVA can change them for weather, power demand or maintenance. Stay alert for horns and rising water below any dam.

Also checked

Beyond lake levels: more Tennessee conditions

Power outages3 utilities listing outages Weather alertsNo active weather alerts Rivers and floodingNo gauges at action stage Smokies roads2 road events listed National park sites12 park alerts listed Air qualityHighest now: Chattanooga 60 (Moderate)Airport delaysNo FAA delays listed Wildfires and drought59.65% of the state in drought (D1+)Earthquakes31 in the last 30 days Attractions and caves28 places, no weather alerts Trail and park closures22 state park trail sections closed Nashville bus alerts25 WeGo alerts in effect Major eventsNone in the last 30 days

Where the data for lake levels comes from

Every reading is credited to its source, with the time it was taken. Corrections and source questions go to the sources page.

Data sources Updates log

Photo: Fall Creek Falls State Park at dawn. Neal Vickers, CC BY-SA 4.0