Lake Hartwell lake and shoreline

Lake Hartwell Water Level

GeorgiaSouth Carolina

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Lake Hartwell

Lake Hartwell is currently 12.3 feet below full pool and 8.3 feet below today's temporary operating target, with a water-surface elevation of 647.7 feet.

647.74 ft · Updated 4 hours ago · NOAA / National Weather Service — Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service

Current level

647.74ft

−8.26 ft vs current operating target

Low

Vs current operating target

Since last reading

Up 0.02 ft

Previous readingNov 8647.72 ft

7-day change

Up 0.02 ft

7-day trend: Stable

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 1.55 ft

30 daily readings in the last 30 days

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Water Level History

Current
647.74 ft
24h
+0.02 ft
7d
+0.02 ft
30d
-1.55 ft

Elevation (ft) NGVD29 · MSL

Solid reference is today's current operating target. The dashed line is designed full pool.

Water Temperature

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Lake Level Context

Level remains below the current operating target

Lake Hartwell is currently 647.74 ft, 8.26 ft below its current operating target. The lake has risen 0.02 ft over the past 7 days and fallen 1.55 ft over the past 30 days.

Lake Hartwell Level Details

Reference elevations, recent daily readings, data sources, and answers to common questions.

Conditions & Reference

Level status

12.26 ft below full pool

Current level
647.74 ft
Full pool
660 ft
DatumElevation referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
NGVD29
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
NOAA / NWS

Reference levels

  • Current operating target656 ft
  • Full pool660 ft
  • Flood stage665 ft
  • Temporary max662 ft

Temporary operating target effective Aug 24, 2026

Surrounding county drought

Abnormally Dry

1.9% of surrounding county in official drought (D1–D4).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Stable

Surrounding county drought

Anderson County, SC

Abnormally Dry

Abnormally Dry. The largest share of Anderson County, SC is Abnormally Dry (D0). 1.9% of the county is still in Moderate Drought or worse (D1–D4), which the U.S. Drought Monitor treats as official drought. These figures describe the surrounding county from the lake location, not the lake itself.. Trend: Stable compared with last week. Official drought (D1–D4) yes

Severity

NoneExtreme

Weekly trend

Stable

Compared with last week

Official drought (D1–D4)

Yes

1.9% of the surrounding county is in official drought categories (D1–D4). Dominant category remains Abnormally Dry.

U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Nov 3, 2026. Updated weekly. Official drought means U.S. Drought Monitor categories D1–D4 (Moderate through Exceptional). Abnormally Dry (D0) is not counted as official drought. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Anderson County, SC

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Nov 9, 2026647.74+0.02
Nov 8, 2026647.72+0.05
Nov 7, 2026647.67-0.04
Nov 6, 2026647.71+0.05
Nov 5, 2026647.66+0.08
Nov 4, 2026647.58-0.08
Nov 3, 2026647.66-0.06

Common questions about Lake Hartwell’s water level

  • The current water level at Lake Hartwell is 647.74 ft (updated 4 hours ago). You can track the Lake Hartwell lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Today's current operating target for Lake Hartwell is 656 ft. The temporary maximum is 662 ft. USACE Savannah District dam-safety restriction at Clemson Lower Diversion Dam Saddle Dike: year-round operating (guide-curve) target 656 ft MSL until a Dam Safety Modification Study and construction are complete (anticipated 5–10 years). Designed full pool remains 660 ft. Temporary maximum 662 ft MSL.

  • Full pool for Lake Hartwell is 660 ft — the designed conservation / summer pool. Today's current operating target is 656 ft.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Lake Hartwell is currently 12.26 ft below full pool and 8.26 ft below today's temporary operating target.

Lake level glossary

Definitions for pool targets, datums, and how elevation readings are labeled.

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