Greers Ferry Lake Water Level
Greers Ferry Lake is at 456.10 ft today (Oct 6), 5.90 ft below its 462 ft full pool, down 0.26 ft this week.
Arkansas · Little Red River
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Water level history
About Greers Ferry Lake
Greers Ferry Lake is a reservoir on the Little Red River in Arkansas, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 462 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Greers Ferry Lake's water level
Greers Ferry Dam sits on the Little Red River in the Ozark foothills of north central Arkansas, built by the Little Rock District of the Army Corps of Engineers between March 1959 and December 1962, with the powerhouse finished in July 1964. President John F. Kennedy dedicated the project on October 3, 1963, one of his last public appearances before he was assassinated in Dallas seven weeks later. The concrete dam runs 1,704 feet long and 243 feet high, backed by earthen sections on either end, and holds about 2.8 million acre-feet at conservation pool. Two generating units of 48,000 kilowatts each, 96 megawatts combined, are scheduled by the Southwestern Power Administration along with a dozen other Corps dams across the region, so releases through the powerhouse track regional power demand as much as they track rainfall. The project also protects downstream White River communities from flooding and supplies water to more than 135,000 households.
Conservation pool sits at 462.04 feet above sea level, and the top of the flood control pool is 487 feet, a roughly 25 foot band the Corps uses to catch runoff and let it out gradually through the powerhouse and floodgates rather than all at once. The lake's biggest test came in the spring of 2008, when weeks of heavy rain across the White River basin pushed every reservoir in the system toward its ceiling. Greers Ferry crested at 485.80 feet on April 10, 2008, the highest level on record, edging past earlier highs of just over 485 feet in 1982 and 483.95 feet in 1973 and coming within a few feet of lakeside houses. The gauge panel on this page covers only the last few years of readings, which is why its recent high of 475.61 feet sits well below the 2008 crest.
Below the dam, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service runs the Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery, stocking the Little Red River with trout that thrive in the cold water drawn from deep in the reservoir; the same stretch was a warm water creek with a different fish community before the dam went in. That tailwater produced the brown trout that Rip Collins caught near Heber Springs on May 9, 1992, at 40 pounds 4 ounces an IGFA all tackle world record that stood until 2009. The lake itself gave up the world record hybrid striped bass, 27 pounds 5 ounces, caught by Jerald Shaum in 1997, and briefly held the walleye world record with Al Nelson's 22 pound 11 ounce fish from 1982 before that title reverted to an older Tennessee catch; Nelson's fish is still recognized as a line class world record. The dam flooded the valley around the community of Higden, and the lake now spans two basins joined at the Narrows, with Heber Springs anchoring the shoreline nearest the dam.
Greers Ferry Lake — frequently asked
What is Greers Ferry Lake's full pool elevation?
Conservation, or full, pool is 462.04 feet above sea level according to the Army Corps of Engineers Little Rock District, which operates the lake. The Corps also carries the lake up to 487 feet, the top of the flood control pool, giving roughly 25 feet of storage above normal pool to catch and slowly release runoff from the Little Red River watershed.
Why does Greers Ferry Lake's level rise and fall so much?
Greers Ferry is a multipurpose Corps project, so flood control, hydropower, water supply and recreation all draw on the same pool. The dam's two 48,000 kilowatt turbines are scheduled by the Southwestern Power Administration to meet regional power demand, not just to pass rainfall through, so the lake can drop during a dry, high demand winter and climb quickly after a wet spring.
What is Greers Ferry Lake's record high water level?
The lake's highest recorded level is 485.80 feet above sea level, reached on April 10, 2008, after weeks of heavy rain pushed every Corps reservoir on the White River system toward capacity. That crest edged past earlier highs of just over 485 feet in 1982 and 483.95 feet in 1973, and it came within a few feet of homes along the shoreline.
Who built Greers Ferry Dam and when did it open?
The Army Corps of Engineers' Little Rock District built the dam between March 1959 and December 1962, with the powerhouse finished in July 1964. President John F. Kennedy dedicated the project on October 3, 1963, one of his final public appearances before his assassination in Dallas 50 days later, on November 22, 1963.
Has Greers Ferry produced any world record fish?
Three times. The Little Red River tailwater below the dam produced Rip Collins' 40 pound 4 ounce brown trout in 1992, an IGFA all tackle world record that stood until 2009. The lake itself produced Jerald Shaum's 27 pound 5 ounce hybrid striped bass in 1997, still a world record, and Al Nelson's 22 pound 11 ounce walleye from 1982, now recognized as a line class world record after the all tackle title reverted to an older Tennessee fish.
What towns are underwater at Greers Ferry Lake?
The reservoir flooded the valley around the community of Higden, and the lake now spans two basins joined at a narrow neck called the Narrows, with Heber Springs on the shore nearest the dam. Below the dam, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Greers Ferry National Fish Hatchery stocks the cold tailwater with trout, replacing the warm water fish community the free flowing Little Red River once supported.
Other lakes near Greers Ferry Lake
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