Live from TVA’s gauge at Chatuge Dam
Lake Chatuge water level today
Today’s level against summer pool, how TVA moves the lake through the year, and what the coming spillway drawdown to 1908 ft means.
Live from TVA and the National Weather Service
Lake Chatuge right now
1,918.28ft
7.72 ft below summer pool
TVA reading, Nov 4, 2:00 AM
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- TVA levels
- Summer pool 1926 ft, June 1 to Labor Day. Winter pool about 1918 ft. Planned repair drawdown: 1908 ft, late 2027 at the earliest.
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Level from TVA, published by NOAA gauge CHAN7 at Chatuge Dam. Weather from the National Weather Service. Some live data didn't load; the links above have the official readings.
TVA’s operating guide
How the lake moves through the year
Chatuge is a flood-control lake first. TVA keeps it high for summer and lowers it in fall so there’s room to catch winter and spring rain, then refills it. The normal swing is about 8 to 10 feet.
- June 1 to Labor Day: summer pool, 1926 ft. TVA’s 2004 operating policy protects the summer level on Chatuge and nine other mountain lakes through Labor Day.
- After Labor Day: the fall drawdown speeds up.
- Winter: about 1918 ft, TVA’s winter flood guide.
- Mid-February: the low point of the curve, about 1915 ft, when flood risk is highest.
- Mid-March: spring refill begins, aiming for 1926 ft by June 1.
Sources: TVA notice of intent, Federal Register, April 21, 2025; TVA Reservoir Operations Study (2004). TVA doesn’t publish the day-by-day curve in a form we can read, so the panel above measures against summer pool. Levels are feet above sea level.
The numbers that matter
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| 1928 ft | Top of the flood pool and the spillway flashboards |
| 1926 ft | Summer pool, June 1 to Labor Day |
| 1918 ft | Normal winter pool |
| 1915 ft | Low point of the guide curve, mid-February |
| 1911–1913 ft | Winter 2014–15, a one-time drawdown to remove the old NC 175 bridge |
| 1908 ft | TVA’s planned drawdown for spillway repair, late 2027 at the earliest |
| 1927.8 ft | Record high, April 20, 1943 |
Level questions
Where does this number come from?
TVA measures the lake at Chatuge Dam every hour, and NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service publishes it as gauge CHAN7. There’s no USGS lake gauge on Chatuge. Some sites show a Hiwassee River gauge instead, which is river stage, not the lake.
What gets exposed at winter pool?
At 1918 ft the lake is 8 feet down from summer. Points stretch out, stumps and old roadbeds come up in the coves, and some private and shallow ramps run short of water. In 2014, at 1911–1913 ft, TVA warned of extra obstructions above and below the water. Run slowly away from the main channel.
Does the lake go over summer pool?
After big rain it can. The space between 1918 and 1928 ft holds 62,600 acre-feet of flood water, and TVA lets it out over the following days.
What will the spillway drawdown look like?
TVA’s plans call for 1908 ft, 10 feet below normal winter pool, during fall and winter only. Read what we know so far.