Overview
Cheatham Lake is a roughly 7,450-acre reservoir on the Cumberland River west of Nashville in Cheatham, Davidson, and Dickson counties, Tennessee. It was created by Cheatham Lock and Dam, operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nashville District for navigation, hydropower, and recreation. As a mainstem Cumberland project just downstream of the Nashville metro area, Cheatham links commercial barge traffic with local boating and fishing on a wooded riverine pool.
With about 320 miles of shoreline, Cheatham is a run-of-river mainstem reservoir held near a full pool of 385 feet above mean sea level. Its wooded banks, creek mouths, backwater sloughs, and lock-and-dam channel create a mix of shallow flats and deeper navigation water. Proximity to Nashville and the Harpeth River confluence give the lake a blend of quiet rural shoreline and easy urban access for day trips.
The lake produces largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and striped bass, with fisheries managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Corps access areas, public boat ramps, and riverside parks provide launch points along the reservoir, and the lock allows recreational and commercial vessels to move between Cheatham and the pools above and below. Anglers and boaters from the Nashville region use Cheatham heavily on weekends and summer evenings.
Water levels on Cheatham Lake are managed by the Corps of Engineers around a normal full pool of 385 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29). Because the pool sits between Old Hickory Lake upstream and the lower Cumberland toward Barkley, elevations respond to lockages, generation, and basin inflows. Monitoring current lake levels is helpful for boating safety, fishing, and dock or ramp access throughout the year.
Current Conditions
Cheatham Lake is currently 0.46 feet above full pool and has fallen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeUp 0.15 ft
- 30-day changeUp 0.52 ft
- Drought conditionsNo Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Cheatham Lake is a 7,450-acre reservoir on the Cumberland River managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.