Summersville Lake Water Level
Summersville Lake is at 1,626.03 ft today (Oct 31), 25.97 ft below its 1,652 ft full pool, down 9.07 ft this week.
West Virginia · Gauley River
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Water level history
About Summersville Lake
Summersville Lake is a reservoir on the Gauley River in West Virginia, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's the largest lake in West Virginia and a favourite of scuba divers for its clarity. Its full summer pool sits at 1652 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Summersville Lake's water level
Summersville Lake is a flood control reservoir first, and its level follows a calendar set by the Corps of Engineers' Huntington District. Summer pool is 1,652 feet. Every September the Corps begins lowering the lake about 77 feet toward a winter pool near 1,575 feet, emptying room to catch winter and spring floods from the 803 square miles of the Gauley basin above the dam. That fall drawdown is also Gauley Season. Rather than letting the water out evenly, the Corps sends it down the Gauley in scheduled weekend releases of about 2,800 cubic feet per second, a flow it has found best for commercial rafting and kayaking. Releases begin the Friday after Labor Day and run into October, and more than 44 billion gallons leave the lake between September and November. Congress made whitewater recreation an official purpose of the dam in October 1986, requiring 20 scheduled releases during the drawdown, and in 1988 created the Gauley River National Recreation Area, which begins just below the dam.
The dam itself is a wall of rock and earth fill 390 feet high and 2,280 feet long, built by the Corps between 1960 and 1966 for nearly $48 million and dedicated by President Lyndon Johnson on September 3, 1966. It holds 12 million cubic yards of material and is described as the second largest dam of its type in the eastern United States. Water leaves through a 1,555 foot tunnel 29 feet across, then through Howell Bunger valves that throw the spray seen from the overlooks. At summer pool the lake covers about 2,790 acres with roughly 60 miles of shoreline, the largest lake in West Virginia. It drowned the farming village of Gad, which stood near today's Long Point Marina from the 1800s until 1960. The Corps usually names a dam for the nearest community, and Gad Dam was briefly considered before officials settled on Summersville. An 80 megawatt hydropower plant was added in 2001, but it runs only on whatever the Corps chooses to release.
In summer the Corps tries to hold 1,652 feet while still sending water downstream; the lake stores more than 160,000 acre-feet for low flow augmentation. In dry years that duty wins. In August 2021 the lake slipped a foot below summer pool and boats at bank slips had to be moved, and in the 2024 drought the Corps started releasing nearly two weeks early, dropping the lake three to four inches a day and closing the marina early. Floods push the other way. The flood control pool runs from 1,652 to 1,710 feet, and in the June 2016 flood the lake stored almost 42 feet of water, its second highest pool of record, closing ramps and Battle Run Campground. Roughly once a decade the lake goes far lower than winter pool: in fall 2013 the Corps dropped it an extra 55 feet, to about 1,520 feet, to inspect gates at the base of the dam. The winter drawdown also lets WVDNR crews work on the dry lakebed, where they have placed large fish habitat structures.
Summersville Lake — frequently asked
What is Summersville Lake's full pool?
Summer pool is 1,652 feet above sea level, which the Corps of Engineers treats as the top of the normal pool and the bottom of the flood control pool. At that level the lake covers about 2,790 acres with around 60 miles of shoreline. Anything above 1,652 feet is floodwater the Corps is holding back, with storage available up to 1,710 feet.
What is the winter pool at Summersville Lake?
Winter pool sits near 1,575 feet; the Corps' dam data lists the bottom of the normal pool at 1,574.4 feet. That is about 77 feet below summer pool. The lake is held there through winter to leave room for runoff, and after a storm it can rise well above it. In March 2021 it stood at 1,640 feet, 65 feet above winter pool, before the Corps released the stored floodwater over about nine days.
Why is Summersville Lake so low in the fall?
The Corps lowers it every fall to make space for winter and spring floods, and it times that drawdown to create Gauley Season. Starting the Friday after Labor Day, water goes out in scheduled weekend releases of about 2,800 cubic feet per second, ideal for rafting the Gauley. By the end of the season the lake is headed for winter pool, around 77 feet below its summer level.
When is Gauley Season?
Releases begin the Friday after Labor Day and run on scheduled weekends into October. Congress made whitewater recreation an official project purpose of Summersville Dam in 1986 and required 20 scheduled releases during the fall drawdown. The Corps adjusts the exact calendar each year; in 2019 the final release was October 20. Flows of around 2,800 cubic feet per second make the Gauley one of the best known Class IV and V rivers in the East.
What is Summersville Lake's record high?
The Corps' dam data lists a top of record of 1,711.7 feet, about 60 feet above summer pool and just above the 1,710 foot top of the flood control pool. The gauge panel on this page covers only about 2020 onward, and its 1,655.42 foot high from 2022 is far below that. The June 2016 flood, when the lake stored almost 42 feet of water, was the second highest pool on record.
Why does Summersville Lake drop in late summer?
The Corps must keep water flowing down the Gauley even in dry weather, and the lake stores more than 160,000 acre-feet for that purpose. In a drought it can sink below 1,652 feet before the fall drawdown begins. In August 2021 it fell about a foot and bank slip boats had to be moved, and in August 2024 the Corps began releasing nearly two weeks early, so the marina closed ahead of schedule.
What fish live in Summersville Lake?
WVDNR fisheries biologists list perch, walleye, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and rock bass among the game fish. Because the lake was built with no thought for fish habitat, DNR crews have used the winter drawdown to place large tree and brush structures on the lakebed, and smallmouth and walleye use them heavily. In fall, as the lake drops, many of those structures stick out of the water and are easy to find. DNR also stocks trout in the tailwater below the dam.
Other lakes near Summersville Lake
- Sutton LakeWV
- R.D. Bailey LakeWV
- Beech Fork LakeWV
- East Lynn LakeWV
- Bluestone LakeWV
- Burnsville LakeWV
See current levels for all 7 West Virginia lakes and reservoirs →
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