Lake Hartwell lake and shoreline

Lake Hartwell Water Level

GeorgiaSouth Carolina

Make Home Lake
Favorite

Share current lake level

Share Lake Hartwell's current conditions.

Lake Hartwell

Lake Hartwell is currently 10.8 feet below full pool and 6.8 feet below today's temporary operating target, with a water-surface elevation of 649.3 feet.

649.25 ft · Updated 5 hours ago · NOAA / National Weather Service — Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service

Current level

649.25ft

−6.75 ft vs current operating target

Low

Vs current operating target

Since last reading

Up 0.03 ft

Previous readingSep 23649.2 ft

7-day change

Down 0.51 ft

7-day trend: Falling

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 1.97 ft

31 daily readings in the last 30 days

Share feedback or correction

Keep up with Lake Hartwell

Know when the lake changes.

Save Lake Hartwell and get your own lake dashboard with water levels, weather, fishing conditions, events and alerts.

  • Lake Alerts

    Know when important lake conditions change.

  • Fishing Outlook

    See fishing conditions and the best days ahead.

  • Dock Talk

    Ask questions and hear from people around the lake.

Follow Lake Hartwell — Free
  • No credit card
  • Personalized to Lake Hartwell
  • Set the alerts you actually want

Water Level History

Current
649.25 ft
24h
+0.03 ft
7d
-0.51 ft
30d
-1.97 ft

Elevation (ft) NGVD29 · MSL

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

Want to know when this changes?

Follow Lake Hartwell and Lake Insights can keep you updated on meaningful water-level changes.

Follow Lake Hartwell — Free

Lake Level Context

Level remains below the current operating target

Lake Hartwell is currently 649.25 ft, 6.75 ft below its current operating target. The lake has fallen 0.51 ft over the past 7 days and 1.97 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

10.75 ft below full pool

Current level
649.25 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

Watershed drought

Moderate Drought

100% of watershed in official drought (D1+).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Stable

Watershed drought conditions

Anderson County, SC

Moderate Drought

Moderate Drought. Moderate drought is affecting the watershed.. Trend: Stable compared with last week. Official drought yes

Severity

NoneExtreme

Weekly trend

Stable

Compared with last week

Official drought

Yes

100% of the watershed is currently classified as official drought (D1+).

Expected impacts

  • Stream inflows may run below normal
  • Lake levels can decline faster between rain events
  • Vegetation stress may increase over time

U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Sep 22, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Anderson County, SC

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Sep 24, 2026649.23+0.03
Sep 23, 2026649.2-0.03
Sep 22, 2026649.23-0.13
Sep 21, 2026649.36-0.03
Sep 20, 2026649.39-0.13
Sep 19, 2026649.52-0.14
Sep 18, 2026649.66-0.08

Common questions about Lake Hartwell’s water level

  • The current water level at Lake Hartwell is 649.25 ft (updated 5 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 10.75 ft below full pool and 6.75 ft below today's temporary operating target.

Lake level glossary

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

Privacy preferences

Ads and analytics are not optional. You can still choose optional functional cookies. Essential cookies stay on so the site works.

  • Essential

    Required for sign-in, security, and core site features. These cannot be turned off because the service would not work without them.

  • Functional & preferences

    Remembers optional choices such as display preferences beyond what essential cookies require. Most preference storage today is essential for signed-in features.