Center Hill Lake Water Level
Center Hill Lake is at 632.28 ft today (Oct 6), 15.72 ft below its 648 ft full pool, down 0.22 ft this week.
Tennessee · Caney Fork River
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Water level history
About Center Hill Lake
Center Hill Lake is a reservoir on the Caney Fork River in Tennessee, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 648 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Center Hill Lake's water level
Center Hill Dam sits at mile 26.6 of the Caney Fork River near Lancaster, and it is one of four Corps flood control dams above Nashville. Authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938, the project broke ground in March 1942, stalled during the war, and resumed in January 1946. Closure began in November 1948 and the powerhouse was finished in 1951. The main dam pairs a 1,382 foot concrete section with a 778 foot earth embankment, and a separate 770 foot saddle dam plugs a low notch in the right rim. At a summer pool of 648 feet the lake covers 18,220 acres, with about 415 miles of shoreline reaching 64 miles upstream to Great Falls. Three 45 megawatt units give the plant 135,000 kilowatts, and running all three passes roughly 11,250 cubic feet per second into the tailwater.
The level follows a yearly cycle. The Corps aims for 623 to 632 feet in January, fills toward 648 feet by late May and early June, then draws down from late June into fall through generation, reopening storage for winter and spring rain. Above 648 feet the reservoir is holding floodwater, and the flood control pool tops out at 685 feet, eleven feet below the top of the dam at 696. The pool of record came on 10 May 1984, when a widespread storm arrived near the end of spring fill and pushed the lake to 681.5 feet. More recently, in May 2024 heavy rain forced releases of 23,000 cubic feet per second, half through the turbines and half over the spillway, to recover flood storage, and the Corps warned that the river below the dam was extremely dangerous.
For about a dozen summers the lake never came close to 648. Center Hill was built on karst limestone, and seepage showed up in January 1949 while the lake was still filling. By 2005 erosion under the earthen embankments and rims earned the dam the Corps' highest risk classification, and from 2008 the lake was held between roughly 618 and 630 feet. The fix took three contracts: grouting under the main embankment and left rim, a concrete barrier wall 2.5 feet thick driven as deep as 308 feet into bedrock, finished in March 2015, and a concrete berm at the saddle dam. In 2017 the return was delayed again when operability problems turned up in the 70 year old spillway gates. Approval to resume normal operations came on 24 February 2020, closing out a $353 million project.
Center Hill Lake — frequently asked
What is Center Hill Lake's full pool?
Normal summer pool is 648 feet above sea level, when the lake covers 18,220 acres. The Corps targets that level in late May and early June. Anything above 648 feet is flood storage, which runs up to 685 feet. The top of the dam sits at 696 feet, so there is margin above even a full flood pool.
What is the winter pool at Center Hill Lake?
In January the Corps generally targets 623 to 632 feet, which puts the lake about 16 to 25 feet below summer pool. The environmental impact statement for the dam repairs lists 623.5 feet as the normal winter minimum. The bottom of the power pool is 618 feet, the lowest level the Corps planned for during the years the dam was under repair.
What is the record high at Center Hill Lake?
The pool of record is 681.5 feet, set on 10 May 1984. A widespread storm hit just as the lake was nearing the end of spring fill, so there was less empty storage than usual to absorb it. That crest came within 3.5 feet of the top of the flood control pool at 685 feet. The recent high and low shown by this page's gauge come from a short window of recent readings, not the full record.
Why was Center Hill Lake kept low for so many years?
Seepage through the karst limestone under the dam's earthen sections put it in the Corps' highest dam safety risk class by 2005. Starting in 2008 the Corps held the lake at roughly 618 to 630 feet, as much as 18 feet below normal, while crews grouted the foundation, built a deep concrete barrier wall, and reinforced the saddle dam. Normal operations were approved in February 2020.
What is the fuse plug at Center Hill Dam?
The saddle dam on the east side contains a fuse plug built in the early 1990s. In an extreme flood it is designed to wash out and route water around and back into the Caney Fork, acting as an emergency spillway. Part of the recent rehabilitation was a concrete berm at the saddle dam, because the Corps considered the risk of the fuse plug activating too early unacceptable.
Is there trout fishing below Center Hill Dam?
Yes. TWRA lists the Caney Fork below the dam as a coldwater tailwater where trout fishing can be good year round, and it falls under special trout regulations. TWRA stocks rainbow, brown, brook, and cutthroat trout there from March through December. Generation can raise the river quickly, so TWRA tells anglers to check discharge and generation schedules by calling TVA at 1-800-238-2264 before wading.
Does Center Hill Lake have walleye?
It does. TWRA runs an annual walleye fingerling stocking program, and harvested fish average about 2.75 pounds. Walleye spawn in mid March in the Blue Hole area near Rock Island State Park when the water reaches 45 to 50 degrees. The daily limit is five, with a 16 inch minimum. TWRA surveys also show above average smallmouth bass numbers along the rocky shoreline.
Other lakes near Center Hill Lake
- Cherokee LakeTN
- Boone LakeTN
- Chickamauga LakeTN
- Lake BarkleyKY/TN
- Dale Hollow LakeKY/TN
- Watts Bar LakeTN
See current levels for all 23 Tennessee lakes and reservoirs →
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