11 lakes, one page. Each entry is the lake as its own guide on this site states it: the pools the managing agency publishes, with that source linked, and the gauge that reads the lake. Where the gauge feeds this site the latest reading appears with its time and the band it falls in; today that is every lake on this page. Nothing here is a ramp verdict and nothing is a forecast.
Jump to: Barren River Lake · Cave Run Lake · Dale Hollow Lake · Green River Lake · Herrington Lake · Kentucky Lake · Lake Barkley · Lake Cumberland · Nolin River Lake · Rough River Lake · Taylorsville Lake
The lakes
Barren River Lake
Summer pool 552.0 ft · Winter pool 528.0 ft
The lake page prints the Louisville District’s schedule: summer pool 552.0 feet, winter pool 528.0, the drawdown 15 September to 1 December in two stages and the fill 15 March to 13 April, feet NGVD 1929. Its note stands here too: the Corps’ water-management record for the dam labels “Top of Normal” 525, three feet under the Fill and Drawdown page’s winter figure, and neither Corps document says which the dam is run to in a given winter. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Fill and Drawdown page. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at USGS 03312900, Barren River Lake near Finney.
Lake level: , , read at (USGS 03312900, Barren River Lake near Finney, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Central time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: USGS 03312900, Barren River Lake near Finney.
The band shown with a reading is the one the lake page’s alert uses, compared with the figures above; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Barren River Lake · the full guide.
Cave Run Lake
Summer pool 730.0 ft · Winter pool 724.0 ft
The lake page prints the Louisville District’s schedule: summer pool 730.0 feet, winter pool 724.0, both NGVD 1929, the drawdown 15 September to 1 December in two stages and the fill 16 March to 1 May. The Corps’ water-management record for Cave Run Lake (read 2 November 2026) labels 730 “Top of Conservation” and 724 “Top of Normal” and “Guide Curve”. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Fill and Drawdown page. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at USGS 03249498, Cave Run Lake near Farmers.
Lake level: , , read at (USGS 03249498, Cave Run Lake near Farmers, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: USGS 03249498, Cave Run Lake near Farmers.
The lake page prints no alert bands for this lake, so no band is shown with a reading; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Cave Run Lake · the full guide.
Dale Hollow Lake
Summer pool 651 ft · Winter pool Status pending
The lake page prints two Nashville District figures, both from the District’s own releases: “The typical target is elevation 651 feet by mid-May” (6 June 2023) and “The flood control pool extends from elevation 651 to 663” (21 February 2019). No Corps page it could read publishes a winter pool, so the winter figure is a gap, not a number. The Corps’ water-management record for Dale Hollow Dam (read 2 November 2026) labels 651 “Top of Power” and “Spillway Crest” and 663 “Top of Flood”, and carries no winter-pool label either. The Corps’ pages name no datum; the record’s own datum field says NGVD29. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, water-management record for Dale Hollow Dam (dlht1). Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at Corps of Engineers water-management record, Dale Hollow Dam (dlht1).
Lake level: , , read at (Corps of Engineers water-management record, Dale Hollow Dam (dlht1), provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: Corps of Engineers water-management record, Dale Hollow Dam (dlht1).
The band shown with a reading is the one the lake page’s alert uses, compared with the figures above; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Dale Hollow Lake · the full guide.
Green River Lake
Summer pool 675.0 ft · Winter pool 668.0 ft
The lake page prints the Louisville District’s schedule: summer pool 675.0 feet, winter pool 668.0, the drawdown 15 September to 1 December in two stages and the fill 15 March to 15 May in two steps, feet NGVD 1929. The Corps’ water-management record for Green River Lake (read 2 November 2026) labels 675 “Top of Conservation”, 668 “Top of Normal” and “Guide Curve” and 713 “Top of Flood”. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Fill and Drawdown page. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at USGS 03305990, Green River Lake near Campbellsville.
Lake level: , , read at (USGS 03305990, Green River Lake near Campbellsville, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: USGS 03305990, Green River Lake near Campbellsville.
The band shown with a reading is the one the lake page’s alert uses, compared with the figures above; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Green River Lake · the full guide.
Herrington Lake
Summer pool Not published · Winter pool Not published
Kentucky Utilities owns the dam and the lake, and the lake page found no summer pool, winter pool or fill and drawdown date on any KU page it read. Status pending. The one published figure is the gauge: USGS 03286000, lake surface elevation above NGVD 1929. With no published pool there is nothing to compare a reading with, so no band is shown. Source the lake page cites: Kentucky Utilities, Herrington Lake study page. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at USGS 03286000, Herrington Lake near Burgin.
Lake level: , , read at (USGS 03286000, Herrington Lake near Burgin, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: USGS 03286000, Herrington Lake near Burgin.
No published pool, so no band; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Herrington Lake · the full guide.
Kentucky Lake
Summer pool 359 ft · Winter pool 354 ft
TVA’s two sentences, as the lake page quotes them: “The typical summer target level is 359 feet” and “the water level in the reservoir is kept at a minimum winter elevation of 354 feet.” Feet above sea level, TVA; no datum named. The dated guide curve is on a TVA dashboard the page could not read, so no fill or drawdown dates. The Corps’ water-management record for Kentucky Lock and Dam (read 2 November 2026) relays TVA’s pool series and labels 375 “Top of Flood”. Source the lake page cites: TVA, Kentucky lake-levels page. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at National Weather Service gauge KYDK2, Tennessee River at Kentucky Lake pool.
Lake level: , , read at (National Weather Service gauge KYDK2, Tennessee River at Kentucky Lake pool, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: National Weather Service gauge KYDK2, Tennessee River at Kentucky Lake pool.
The band shown with a reading is the one the lake page’s alert uses, compared with the figures above; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Kentucky Lake · the full guide.
Lake Barkley
Summer pool 359 ft · Winter pool 354 ft
The Corps’ 2017 Master Plan, as the lake page quotes it: “The targeted water surface elevation for Lake Barkley from December 1st until April 1st is 354 feet AMSL, increasing to 357 feet AMSL by April 15th, and climbing to 359 feet AMSL by May 1st.” Feet above mean sea level, Corps; no datum named on its pages. The Corps’ water-management record for Barkley Lock and Dam (read 2 November 2026) labels 359 “Top of Normal”, 354 “Bottom of Normal” and 375 “Top of Flood”, and its own datum field says NGVD29. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, Lake Barkley page. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at TVA lake-levels page for Barkley.
Lake level: , , read at (TVA lake-levels page for Barkley, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: TVA lake-levels page for Barkley.
The band shown with a reading is the one the lake page’s alert uses, compared with the figures above; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Lake Barkley · the full guide.
Lake Cumberland
Summer pool 723 ft · Winter pool 700 ft
The Nashville District’s operating statement, as the lake page quotes it: “The typical operation of Wolf Creek Dam allows the lake to fill from elevation 700 to 723 feet by mid-May”; the flood-control pool “spans elevations 723 to 760 feet”; the minimum power pool is 673. Feet above sea level, Corps; no datum named on the District’s pages. The Corps’ water-management record for Wolf Creek Dam (read 2 November 2026) labels 723 “Top of Power” and “Spillway Crest”, 760 “Top of Flood” and 673 “Bottom of Power”, and its own datum field says NGVD29. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Nashville District, Wolf Creek Dam page. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at Corps of Engineers, Nashville District water management.
Lake level: , , read at (Corps of Engineers, Nashville District water management, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: Corps of Engineers, Nashville District water management.
The band shown with a reading is the one the lake page’s alert uses, compared with the figures above; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Lake Cumberland · the full guide.
Nolin River Lake
Summer pool 515.0 ft · Winter pool 492.0 ft
The lake page prints the Louisville District’s schedule: summer pool 515.0 feet, winter pool 492.0, the drawdown 15 September to 1 December in two stages and the fill 15 March to 13 April, feet NGVD 1929. Its note stands here too: the Corps’ water-management record for Nolin Lake labels “Top of Normal” 490, two feet under the Fill and Drawdown page’s winter figure (re-read 2 November 2026: 515 “Top of Conservation” and “Guide Curve”, 490 “Top of Normal”, 560 “Top of Flood”), and the two are different Corps documents. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, Fill and Drawdown page. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at USGS 03310900, Nolin Lake near Kyrock.
Lake level: , , read at (USGS 03310900, Nolin Lake near Kyrock, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Central time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: USGS 03310900, Nolin Lake near Kyrock.
The band shown with a reading is the one the lake page’s alert uses, compared with the figures above; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Nolin River Lake · the full guide.
Rough River Lake
Summer pool 490 ft, held · Winter pool 470 ft
The Corps holds the lake at 490 feet while it rebuilds the dam; the normal 495-foot summer pool is suspended. The lake page prints the Louisville District’s daily lake report of 15 September 2026, summer pool 490.0 feet and winter pool 470.0, with the fall to 470 between 15 October and 1 December and the rise back to 490 from 1 April to 1 May. The Corps’ water-management record for Rough River Lake (read 2 November 2026) labels 495 “Top of Conservation” and 470 “Top of Normal” and “Guide Curve”, feet NGVD29. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, water-management record for Rough River Lake. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at USGS 03318005, Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough.
Lake level: , , read at (USGS 03318005, Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: USGS 03318005, Rough River Lake near Falls of Rough.
The lake page prints no alert bands for this lake, so no band is shown with a reading; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Rough River Lake · the full guide.
Taylorsville Lake
Summer pool 547 ft · Winter pool 545 ft
The lake page prints the Louisville District’s daily lake report and the Corps’ seasonal levels (15 September 2026): summer pool 547.0 feet, winter pool 545.0, held at 547 until 15 November and down to 545 by 1 December. The Corps’ water-management record for Taylorsville Lake (read 2 November 2026) labels 547 “Top of Conservation” and 545 “Top of Normal” and “Guide Curve”, feet NGVD29. Source the lake page cites: Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, water-management record for Taylorsville Lake. Read 2 November 2026.
Reading not loaded. It fills in from the gauge when this page’s script runs. Read it yourself at USGS 03295597, Taylorsville Lake.
Lake level: , , read at (USGS 03295597, Taylorsville Lake, provisional). The time is the reading’s own, Eastern time.
Last reported ; the gauge is running behind. Check the source before you drive.
No current reading from since . Check the gauge: USGS 03295597, Taylorsville Lake.
The lake page prints no alert bands for this lake, so no band is shown with a reading; nothing here says whether a ramp can be used. Email alerts for Taylorsville Lake · the full guide.
Not on this page
The rivers, creeks and tailwaters this site covers are read as flow or stage, not pool, so they are not listed here; each has its gauge, or the reason it has none, on its own page from the waterways index. Fontana Lake, which decides the boat ride to Hazel Creek, is published by TVA on its Fontana lake-levels page (the link the Hazel Creek guide cites); this site has found no feed it can read for it, so it is not fetched. Status pending.
What we don’t know yet
- Dale Hollow’s winter pool. Not stated on any Corps page the lake guide could read, and the Corps’ water-management record carries no winter-pool label. Status pending.
- Herrington’s pool. Kentucky Utilities publishes no summer or winter pool on any page the lake guide read. Status pending.
- The Louisville District’s Fill and Drawdown page was not re-read for this page; the schedules above are as the lake pages print them, and the Corps’ water-management records (read 2 November 2026) label the same summer pools. For Nolin and Barren the records’ winter “Top of Normal” sits two and three feet under the page’s figure; both lake pages print that difference, and this page repeats it rather than choosing. Status pending for a re-check of the winter pools and the fill and drawdown dates against the District’s page directly.
- TVA’s own pages were not re-read for this page; Kentucky Lake’s 359 and 354 stand as the lake guide quotes them. Status pending for a re-check against TVA directly.
- A reading that stops. This site’s levels function reads every lake on this page (Rough River and Barren River since 21 October 2026; each of the others since its gauge or Corps record was re-verified on 5 November 2026). A source that stops answering drops its lake to “No current reading” here after three days. The Louisville District’s Corps records checked on 5 November 2026 were nineteen to twenty hours behind the USGS gauges; for those lakes the USGS reading leads and the Corps record is the fallback.
- Ramps. No lake here has a published minimum elevation for every ramp, and this page makes no ramp call. The lake’s guide has what the agencies publish about its ramps; the office or the dock has the rest.
Sources: each lake’s guide on this site, read 2 November 2026, and the source it cites for its pools, linked in that lake’s entry: the Louisville District’s Fill and Drawdown page and daily lake report, the Nashville District’s Wolf Creek Dam and Lake Barkley pages and its releases of 15 and 21 February 2019 and 6 June 2023, TVA’s Kentucky lake-levels page, the Corps’ 2017 Lake Barkley Master Plan, and Kentucky Utilities’ Herrington Lake study page. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water-management records (water.usace.army.mil/cda/reporting/providers/<district>/locations/<slug>, read 2 November 2026, every record giving its vertical datum as NGVD29): Rough River Lake, Taylorsville Lake, Cave Run Lake, Nolin Lake and Green River Lake (Louisville District); Wolf Creek Dam, Kentucky Lock and Dam, Barkley Lock and Dam and Dale Hollow Dam (Nashville District). This site’s levels function, /api/levels (serving every lake on this page since 5 November 2026), which reads the USGS water-data API with the Corps records as fallback, or the Corps record alone where USGS has no series for the lake, and marks every reading provisional, as USGS and the Corps do. USGS data are public domain; Corps water-management data are a U.S. Government work. Verify conditions with the agency before travelling.