Boone Lake Water Level
Boone Lake is at 1,375.36 ft today (Oct 18), 6.64 ft below its 1,382 ft full pool, down 0.56 ft this week.
Tennessee · South Fork Holston River
Sponsor Boone Lake
Put your marina, real-estate, or local business in front of everyone checking this lake's level. One exclusive sponsor per lake.
Renews automatically each month or year until you cancel. Cancel anytime online. Terms · Manage or cancel · Questions?
Water level history
About Boone Lake
Boone Lake is a reservoir on the South Fork Holston River in Tennessee, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. It was held low for years during a major dam rebuild finished in 2022. Its full summer pool sits at 1382 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and update hourly.
Understanding Boone Lake's water level
Boone Lake runs on a seasonal rhythm set by TVA. The summer target is 1,382 feet, and TVA's stated goal is a stable, reliable level from mid May through Labor Day. After Labor Day the lake starts down slowly, three to four feet a month at first and four to five feet a month later in the fall, reaching the winter level of about 1,362 feet around mid December. That empty space is room for the rainy months: the reservoir has 75,800 acre-feet of flood storage. The guide curve weighs flood risk, power generation, water quality and water supply, and the last comprehensive study of it was done in 2004. Water released here does not stop at Kingsport; it passes through eleven more TVA dams on its way down the system. The dam is 160 feet high and 1,697 feet long, and its three generating units carry a summer net dependable capacity of 114 megawatts.
The long stretch of low water that locals remember began on October 20, 2014, when a sinkhole turned up at the toe of the dam and muddy water was found seeping from the riverbank below, a sign of internal erosion in the earthen embankment. TVA pulled the lake down early and then held it between 1,350 and 1,355 feet, about ten feet below normal winter pool, for years while it built a fix. The repair was a composite seepage barrier: grouting in the foundation soils, grouting in the bedrock, and a concrete diaphragm wall built through the embankment between May 2019 and May 2021. TVA describes that wall as at least 24 inches thick, about 840 feet long, and reaching roughly 100 to 180 feet below the working surface. It was TVA's largest dam safety modification and, by TVA's account, finished on time and under budget. Coverage at completion put the cost at $326 million; the first estimate in 2015 had been $200 million to $300 million. The dam was formally reopened on May 25, 2022.
The lake is shaped like a V because the Watauga River joins the South Fork Holston almost immediately upstream of the dam. One arm runs about 16 miles up the South Fork Holston and the other about 15 miles up the Watauga, through Sullivan and Washington counties. TWRA lists the reservoir at 4,520 acres, with a heavily developed private shoreline and little public land. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are by far the most numerous and most sought game fish, and spotted bass are increasing. Striped bass and hybrid striped bass are here only because TWRA stocks them every year; neither reproduces in the lake. The agency has also stocked blue catfish and black crappie, and black crappie outnumber white. Largemouth hold on brush and rock in spring, then move out to deeper rocky and shale areas in summer and fall. Precautionary advisories cover eating catfish and carp because of PCBs and chlordane. Construction began in 1950, and the gates closed on December 16, 1952.
Boone Lake — frequently asked
What is Boone Lake's full pool?
The normal summer pool is 1,382 feet above sea level, which TVA aims to hold steady from mid May through Labor Day. Winter pool is about 1,362 feet, so in a normal year the lake moves roughly twenty feet between seasons. During the dam repair from late 2014 into 2021, the lake was kept far lower, between 1,350 and 1,355 feet.
When does TVA lower Boone Lake for winter?
The drawdown starts after Labor Day and is gradual. TVA lowers the lake three to four feet per month early in the fall, then speeds up to four to five feet per month, reaching winter pool of about 1,362 feet around mid December. The space created is flood storage for the rainy winter months across TVA's integrated river system.
When does Boone Lake fill back up?
TVA's operating goal is stable summer levels from mid May through Labor Day, so the climb from winter pool to 1,382 feet happens before then. How quickly it fills depends on rainfall. In 2022, the first year after the dam repair, the lake began gaining volume in late February and TVA returned it to the normal operating guide curve that July.
Why was Boone Lake so low for so many years?
In October 2014 a sinkhole appeared near the base of the dam's earthen embankment and muddy water was seeping from the riverbank below. TVA lowered the lake and held it between 1,350 and 1,355 feet, about ten feet under normal winter pool, while it designed and built an underground seepage barrier. The work took about seven years, and the dam was formally reopened on May 25, 2022.
Is Boone Dam fixed?
Yes. The concrete cutoff wall was built between May 2019 and May 2021 and tied into grouted soil and bedrock. TVA then raised the lake in steps to test it, including a test level of 1,373 feet in spring 2021, and reached 1,382 feet that July. TVA reported the wall performing as expected, and the lake returned to normal operations in July 2022.
How did the drawdown affect marinas and boat ramps?
Marinas took the most direct hit because their income comes from the lake, and TVA provided financial assistance to marina owners, though not to restaurants or gas stations. Some docks were moved in a couple hundred feet to stay in water. TVA extended the ramp at Pickens Bridge, added one at Devault Bridge with TWRA, and opened a swim beach and ramp off Minga Road.
What fish live in Boone Lake?
TWRA says largemouth and smallmouth bass are by far the most numerous game fish, with spotted bass increasing. Striped bass and hybrid striped bass are maintained entirely by annual stocking because neither reproduces in the reservoir. Blue catfish and black crappie have also been stocked, and black crappie are more common than white. Advisories apply to eating catfish and carp.
Other lakes near Boone Lake
- Center Hill LakeTN
- Lake BarkleyKY/TN
- Cherokee LakeTN
- Watts Bar LakeTN
- Chickamauga LakeTN
- Watauga LakeTN
See current levels for all 23 Tennessee lakes and reservoirs →
Add this gauge to your website
Run a marina, boat rental, guide service, or real-estate site on Boone Lake? Put this free live-level widget on your page — just copy and paste the code: