1949.06 ft TVA datum (ft MSL)
level 9.9 ft below full pool — this gauge's public record is too short for seasonal comparisons
Reading comes straight from NOAA National Water Prediction Service (NOAA gauge WTGT1) and updates live when you load this page.
Is Watauga Lake full?
Not quite — 9.9 ft below full pool as of September 24, 2026
How full is Watauga Lake? Not as a percentage: no storage figure comes through with this gauge reading, and a share of capacity worked out from the elevation alone would be a guess — how much water a reservoir holds at a given level is a curve only the operator's own capacity table knows. Feet from full pool is what the operator publishes, and it is the figure above.
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 | 1959.00 ft TVA datum (ft MSL) · per TVA full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | NOAA gauge WTGT1 · NOAA National Water Prediction Service |
| Datum | TVA datum (ft MSL) — Full pool = TVA operating-guide summer flood-guide max (1959). NWPS gauge 'Watauga River above Watauga Dam'. |
| 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
What is the lake level for Watauga Lake today?
Watauga Lake is at 1949.06 ft (TVA datum (ft MSL)) as of September 24, 2026 — 9.9 ft below full pool — this gauge's public record is too short for seasonal comparisons.
Is Watauga Lake full?
Not quite — at 1949.06 ft on September 24, 2026, Watauga Lake is 9.9 ft below its full pool of 1959.00 ft (TVA datum (ft MSL)).
How full is Watauga Lake?
Not as a percentage: no storage figure comes through with this gauge reading, and a share of capacity worked out from the elevation alone would be a guess — how much water a reservoir holds at a given level is a curve only the operator's own capacity table knows. Feet from full pool is what the operator publishes, and it is the figure above.
What is full pool for Watauga Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Watauga Lake is 1959.00 ft TVA datum (ft MSL), per TVA full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.