Douglas Lake Right Now
Douglas Lake's water level has been falling over the past week. Watershed conditions are abnormally dry. Today's forecast calls for mostly sunny.
- 7-day level change
- Down 3.35 feet
- Forecast high
- 81°F
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Overview
Douglas Lake is a roughly 28,400-acre reservoir on the French Broad River in Jefferson, Cocke, Sevier, and Hamblen counties in East Tennessee, extending into the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. It was created when the Tennessee Valley Authority completed Douglas Dam for hydropower and flood control. The reservoir stretches about 43 miles upriver from the dam.
With about 513 miles of shoreline, Douglas is a large storage reservoir that typically fluctuates about 40 to 44 feet from summer to winter — one of the largest seasonal drawdowns in the TVA system — exposing broad mudflats that attract migrating shorebirds each fall. Its fertile water and extensive creek arms create outstanding fish habitat.
The lake is famous for crappie and also produces largemouth and smallmouth bass, striped bass, and catfish, with fisheries managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. TVA recreation areas, boat ramps, and marinas serve the reservoir.
Water levels on Douglas Lake are managed by TVA around a summer full pool near 993 feet above mean sea level, with a winter pool near 940 feet for flood storage. Because of the large seasonal swing, monitoring current lake levels is especially important for boating, fishing, and dock access throughout the year.
Douglas Lake is a 28,420-acre reservoir on the French Broad River managed by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).