Fort Loudoun Lake Water Level
Fort Loudoun Lake is at 812.57 ft today (Oct 6), 0.43 ft below its 813 ft full pool, down 0.13 ft this week.
Tennessee · Tennessee River
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Water level history
About Fort Loudoun Lake
Fort Loudoun Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee River in Tennessee, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. It's the reservoir at Knoxville. Its full summer pool sits at 813 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and update hourly.
Understanding Fort Loudoun Lake's water level
Fort Loudoun Lake is the first reservoir on the Tennessee River. The river takes its name in Knoxville, where the Holston and French Broad come together, and TVA counts the navigable channel from there 652 miles down to Paducah, Kentucky. From that confluence the lake runs about 50 miles (TWRA says 55) downstream through the city to Fort Loudoun Dam at Lenoir City, roughly river mile 602. TVA began the dam on July 8, 1940 and closed the gates on August 2, 1943, a year ahead of the 1944 target once World War II pushed the work along. The job took 16,200 acres and moved 317 residents, six cemeteries and more than 60 miles of road. The dam is 122 feet high and 4,190 feet long, and its lock, 60 by 360 feet, lifts or lowers boats about 70 feet. That lock is the upstream end of barge traffic on the Tennessee.
The level moves less here than on most TVA lakes. TVA lists a winter minimum of 807 feet and a typical summer level of 812 to 813 feet, so the difference between winter and summer is about six feet, which TWRA describes as minimal drawdown. The site's full pool of 813 feet is the top of that summer band. Readings a little above 813 do happen: in a heavy rain TVA can hold water in Fort Loudoun, which has 111,000 acre-feet of flood storage, to cut peaks farther down the river. A half-mile canal ties the lake to Tellico Reservoir on the Little Tennessee. Tellico Dam has no generators, so Tellico water moves through the canal and runs Fort Loudoun's four units, and barges get into the Little Tennessee without passing through a lock. TVA says the two linked reservoirs help regulate flooding downstream, especially at Chattanooga.
The lake runs straight through Knoxville, and on football Saturdays it becomes a parking lot for the Vol Navy. The tradition began in 1962, when George Mooney, then the radio Voice of the Vols, and a friend took a motorboat to Neyland Stadium to beat the traffic and tied it to a tree. Nearly 600 feet of dock followed within ten years, plus another 75 feet and a pedestrian tunnel under Neyland Drive in 1982. The university estimates about 350 boats tie up for big games. Anglers should know about the fish advisory. TDEC says catfish and largemouth bass over two pounds from Fort Loudoun should not be eaten because of PCBs, and it adds a precautionary mercury advisory for largemouth of any size from Highway 129 up to the confluence. The fort behind the name is not on this lake. It stood on the Little Tennessee River, and its reconstruction now sits on Tellico Lake near Vonore.
Fort Loudoun Lake — frequently asked
What is Fort Loudoun Lake's full pool?
813 feet above sea level. TVA gives the typical summer level as 812 to 813 feet, so readings in that range mean the lake is where it is supposed to be for the season. The winter minimum is 807 feet. Because TVA holds a band rather than a single number, a reading of 812.5 in July is normal, not low.
How much does Fort Loudoun Lake drop in winter?
About six feet, from the 812 to 813 foot summer range down to a winter minimum of 807 feet. TWRA calls that a minimal drawdown. Docks and ramps sit a few feet lower in winter than in summer. This is the uppermost of TVA's nine mainstem lakes on the Tennessee, and its lock at Lenoir City is the upstream end of the 652 mile barge channel to Paducah.
Why is Fort Loudoun Lake above 813 feet?
Usually because of heavy rain. Fort Loudoun has 111,000 acre-feet of flood storage, and TVA can hold water here temporarily so that less reaches Chattanooga and the towns below. TVA warns that release schedules can change without notice and that large amounts of water can be discharged at any time, so levels above summer pool are normally short lived.
Is Fort Loudoun Lake connected to Tellico Lake?
Yes. A canal about half a mile long joins the two near Lenoir City. Tellico Dam has no generators, so water from Tellico flows through the canal to Fort Loudoun Dam, where it helps run the four generating units. The canal also lets barges move between the lakes without a lock. TVA describes the two as linked reservoirs that help regulate downstream flooding.
Can you boat to Neyland Stadium?
Yes, and that is the Vol Navy. Boats tie up at docks across from the stadium off Neyland Drive, then fans walk about fifteen minutes to the gate through a tunnel under the road. The tradition started in 1962 with radio broadcaster George Mooney. The university estimates about 350 boats come for major games, and UT is one of three schools where fans can sailgate.
Is it safe to eat fish from Fort Loudoun Lake?
Some of them, no. TDEC's advisory list says catfish and largemouth bass over two pounds from the whole reservoir should not be eaten because of PCBs, and it has a precautionary mercury advisory for largemouth of any size from Highway 129 up to the confluence. In the Little River embayment, largemouth should not be eaten up to Roddy Branch. In August 2026 TDEC added a mercury advisory for black bass on the French Broad above the lake.
Is the old Fort Loudoun on this lake?
No. The British built Fort Loudoun in 1756 and 1757, during the French and Indian War, on the Little Tennessee River near the Cherokee town of Chota. When Tellico Dam threatened to flood it, TVA paid to raise the ground 26 feet, and the reconstructed fort now stands on Tellico Lake near Vonore. The lake and dam just borrowed the name, which honors the Earl of Loudoun.
Other lakes near Fort Loudoun Lake
- Great Falls LakeTN
- Douglas LakeTN
- J. Percy Priest LakeTN
- Dale Hollow LakeKY/TN
- Kentucky LakeKY/TN
- Chickamauga LakeTN
See current levels for all 23 Tennessee lakes and reservoirs →
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