445.25 ft USACE project datum (ft MSL)
level 0.3 ft above full pool — unusually high for mid-August
Reading comes straight from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data (USACE series OHHT1-OLD_HICKORY.Elev-Pool.Inst.1Hour.0.dcp-rev) and updates live when you load this page.
Old Hickory Lake through the year
The band is the lake's own normal: where the level has run on each calendar day, 1990–2026. The summer drawdown — and how this year sits in it — shows up without reading a single number.
This year vs the years that matter
This year's trace against last year and the driest and wettest years on record — the drought-context question every lake regular asks.
- 2008 (wettest on record)
- 1993 (driest on record)
- 2025 (last year)
- 2026 (this year)
Full pool, datum, and the gauge
"Full pool" here means the conservation pool — the level the lake is designed to hold for water supply and recreation, not the flood-control space above it. The full explainer covers flood pool and dead pool too.
| Full pool | 445.00 ft USACE project datum (ft MSL) · per USACE Nashville District (LRN) full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USACE series OHHT1-OLD_HICKORY.Elev-Pool.Inst.1Hour.0.dcp-rev · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Access to Water data |
| Datum | USACE project datum (ft MSL) — Full pool = LRN CWMS location level 'Top of Power' 445.0; run-of-river project held in a 444-446 band (TVA operating-guide feed). |
| Last verified | August 15, 2026 |
LakeDates reports lake level, not ramp status. Whether a given ramp or marina is usable at this level varies ramp by ramp — call the marina before you tow.
Quick answers
How full is Old Hickory Lake right now?
Old Hickory Lake is at 445.25 ft (USACE project datum (ft MSL)) as of August 15, 2026 — 0.3 ft above full pool — unusually high for mid-August
Is Old Hickory Lake full?
Yes and then some — at 445.25 ft, Old Hickory Lake is 0.3 ft above its full pool of 445.00 ft (USACE project datum (ft MSL)), using flood storage.
What is full pool for Old Hickory Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Old Hickory Lake is 445.00 ft USACE project datum (ft MSL), per USACE Nashville District (LRN) full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.