Kentucky Lake Water Level
Kentucky & Tennessee · Tennessee River
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Water level history
About Kentucky Lake
Kentucky Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee River in Kentucky & Tennessee, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. It's one of the largest man-made lakes in the eastern U.S. Its full summer pool sits at 359 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and update hourly.
Understanding Kentucky Lake's water level
Kentucky Lake is the largest man-made lake by surface area in the eastern United States, a huge Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir stretching up the Tennessee River behind Kentucky Dam, which was completed in 1944. TVA runs it as a mainstem navigation and power lake with major flood-control duties, and it holds an enormous amount of flood storage, more than two and a half times that of any other TVA reservoir. Like other TVA lakes it follows a seasonal cycle, but because it is a working navigation channel, its swing is modest: it is held near a summer pool of about 359 feet above sea level and drawn down only a few feet, toward roughly 354 feet, for winter.
That relatively small drawdown sets Kentucky Lake apart from TVA's deep mountain storage reservoirs, which can drop dozens of feet. Here the goal is to keep a steady navigable channel and generate power while still opening some flood storage in winter, so a lake that is a few feet down in January is on schedule, not in trouble. The sharpest short-term changes come from heavy rain upstream and from generation at the dam rather than any deep seasonal pull. A canal at its northern end connects Kentucky Lake to neighboring Lake Barkley, with the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area filling the peninsula between them.
With more than 2,000 miles of shoreline, Kentucky Lake is one of the great recreation lakes of the region, ringed by state resort parks and marinas and drawing anglers for crappie, bass and catfish. It is also on the front line of the Asian carp problem, with bigheaded carp established in the system since the early 2000s. For boaters, the practical takeaway is a lake that stays close to its summer pool through the warm months and dips only slightly in winter.
Kentucky Lake — frequently asked
Why does Kentucky Lake's water level change?
Kentucky Lake is a TVA mainstem navigation and power reservoir, so it is held near a summer pool for recreation and navigation and drawn down only a few feet in winter to open some flood storage. Because it is a working navigation channel, its seasonal swing is small compared with TVA's deep mountain lakes.
What are Kentucky Lake's summer and winter pool levels?
It is held near a summer pool of about 359 feet above sea level and drawn down to roughly 354 feet in winter, a modest drawdown of only a few feet, then refilled for the summer recreation season.
Why is Kentucky Lake drawn down so little compared with other TVA lakes?
As a mainstem lake on the Tennessee River, Kentucky Lake has to keep a steady navigable channel and generate power, so TVA holds it in a narrow band. The deep tributary reservoirs upstream, not Kentucky Lake, provide most of the system's large seasonal flood storage, though Kentucky Lake itself holds an enormous volume of flood water.
How is Kentucky Lake connected to Lake Barkley?
A canal at the northern end links Kentucky Lake to Lake Barkley on the Cumberland River, and the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area occupies the peninsula between the two lakes.
What is the fishing like at Kentucky Lake?
It is a renowned crappie, bass and catfish fishery with thousands of miles of shoreline. It also has an established population of invasive Asian carp, present in the system since the early 2000s, which fisheries managers continue to work against.
What is Kentucky Lake used for?
It provides Tennessee River navigation, hydropower and flood control, and it is one of the eastern United States' premier recreation lakes, with state resort parks, marinas and the adjacent Land Between the Lakes area.
Other lakes near Kentucky Lake
- Lake BarkleyKY/TN
- Barren River LakeKY
- Boone LakeTN
- Cave Run LakeKY
- Center Hill LakeTN
- Cherokee LakeTN
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