Pickwick Lake Water Level
Pickwick Lake is at 412.02 ft today (Oct 6), 1.98 ft below its 414 ft full pool, down 0.58 ft this week.
Alabama & Tennessee & Mississippi · Tennessee River
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Water level history
About Pickwick Lake
Pickwick Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee River in Alabama & Tennessee & Mississippi, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. Its full summer pool sits at 414 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and update hourly.
Understanding Pickwick Lake's water level
Pickwick Lake backs the Tennessee River up for about 53 miles behind Pickwick Landing Dam in Hardin County, Tennessee, running south along the Mississippi and Alabama line and then east into Alabama as far as Wilson Dam near Florence. TVA started construction on December 20, 1934, closed the dam on February 8, 1938, and had the first unit generating that June. The name traces to a local post office whose first postmaster admired Charles Dickens and named it for The Pickwick Papers. Building the lake took more than 63,700 acres of land, clearing about 12,590 acres of timber, buildings and fences, and relocating 506 families, and it partially flooded the Alabama towns of Waterloo and Riverton. The dam stands 113 feet high and runs nearly a mile and a half across the river, and its six units carry about 247 megawatts of summer dependable capacity. Pickwick Village beside the dam was sold by TVA to the State of Tennessee in 1969 and is now Pickwick Landing State Park, 681 acres with an inn, golf course, cabins and a marina.
The level follows a modest seasonal cycle. TVA holds a winter minimum of 408 feet to keep navigation depth for barge traffic and runs the lake between 413 and 414 feet in summer, so 414 is the full pool the gauge on this page measures against. A TVA fact sheet puts the planned annual swing at about six feet, with roughly four more feet possible during floods, and the reservoir carries 492,700 acre-feet of flood storage. At summer pool the lake spreads over 43,100 acres with nearly 490 miles of shoreline. The one real break from routine came in 2014. A TVA inspection found that the 4,380 foot earthen embankment south of the concrete dam, the only dam in the TVA system built by the hydraulic fill method, could lose strength in a large earthquake from the New Madrid Seismic Zone. TVA sped up the fall drawdown that September to reach winter pool about six weeks early, installed an early warning system in 2015, and planned stabilizing berms for late 2017 through late 2021 while keeping normal seasonal levels during the work.
Pickwick is a working river. The dam has two locks, both 110 feet wide: the original 600 foot chamber, which opened on February 19, 1938 with a 63 foot lift that ranked among the highest in the world, and a 1,000 foot lock finished in 1984. The Yellow Creek embayment on the south shore was laid out from the start to allow an entrance to a future waterway south, and that came with the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway, completed in December 1984 and opened to traffic in January 1985. Its 29 mile Divide Cut leaves Pickwick for the Jamie Whitten Lock, the northernmost of ten locks on the 234 mile route to the Gulf. For anglers, TWRA says Pickwick smallmouth rival Dale Hollow for size, with smallmouth averaging about 2.2 pounds and largemouth about 2.6 over the past decade. Alabama biologists call it the state's premier water for a black bass grand slam of largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, with the best smallmouth water in the swift Shoals section below Wilson Dam at the head of the lake.
Pickwick Lake — frequently asked
What is full pool on Pickwick Lake?
Full summer pool is 414 feet. TVA operates Pickwick between 413 and 414 feet in summer, which is when the lake covers 43,100 acres with nearly 490 miles of shoreline and stretches about 53 miles from Pickwick Landing Dam up to Wilson Dam. A reading of 413 in July is normal operation, not a sign of drought.
Why is Pickwick Lake lower in winter?
TVA draws Pickwick down each year to a winter minimum of 408 feet, about six feet below summer pool. TVA sets 408 as the floor because the lake still has to hold navigation depth for barge traffic on the Tennessee River and into the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway. When the lake climbs back toward 413 and 414 it is returning to its summer operating range.
How high can Pickwick Lake rise in a flood?
The reservoir has 492,700 acre-feet of flood storage, and a TVA fact sheet describes roughly four feet of rise possible during floods on top of the normal six foot annual swing. Below the dam, the highest crest on the National Weather Service tailwater gauge is 399.6 feet on 19 March 1973, with 399.17 feet on 25 February 2019 close behind.
Why was Pickwick drawn down early in 2014?
A TVA inspection that year found the 4,380 foot earthen embankment south of the concrete dam, built by hydraulic fill, could lose strength in a large earthquake from the New Madrid Seismic Zone. TVA accelerated the fall drawdown in September 2014 to reach winter pool about six weeks early, added an early warning system in 2015, and later reinforced the embankment with berms while keeping normal seasonal levels.
How big are the locks at Pickwick Landing Dam?
There are two, both 110 feet wide. The main lock is 1,000 feet long and was completed in 1984. The original 600 foot lock opened in February 1938 with a 63 foot lift, among the highest in the world at the time. ADCNR lists the Pickwick lock phone number as 731-925-2334 for boaters planning to lock through toward Kentucky Lake.
Where does the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway connect to Pickwick Lake?
At the Yellow Creek embayment on the lake's south shore. TVA designed that embayment to allow an entrance for a future southward waterway, and the Tenn Tom opened to traffic in January 1985. From Pickwick the 29 mile Divide Cut runs south to the Jamie Whitten Lock, first of ten locks, each 110 by 600 feet, on the 234 mile route toward the Gulf.
Is Pickwick Lake good for smallmouth bass?
State biologists in two states say so. TWRA writes that Pickwick has produced trophy smallmouth for years and rivals Dale Hollow for size, with smallmouth averaging about 2.2 pounds over the last decade. Alabama calls it the premier reservoir for a largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass grand slam, with smallmouth strongest in the current below Wilson Dam. Tennessee waters carry a 15 inch minimum and five bass daily.
Other lakes near Pickwick Lake
- Walter F. George Reservoir (Lake Eufaula)GA/AL
- Neely Henry LakeAL
- Lake Wedowee (R.L. Harris)AL
- Lake MitchellAL
- Weiss LakeAL
- Lake MartinAL
See current levels for all 21 Alabama lakes and reservoirs →
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