Overview
Buggs Island Lake, also known as Kerr Lake or John H. Kerr Reservoir, is a roughly 50,000-acre reservoir along the Virginia–North Carolina border on the Roanoke River. Created in the early 1950s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake extends across multiple counties in both states. Its size and position in the Roanoke River basin make it a key regional resource for flood control, hydropower, water supply, recreation, and fisheries.
With on the order of 900 miles of shoreline, Kerr features broad open-water sections, expansive creek arms, and gently sloping to moderately steep banks. Numerous coves, submerged points, and defined river channels create a structurally diverse basin. Large embayments and tributaries transition into wide main-lake areas, providing a mix of shallow and deep-water habitats throughout the reservoir.
Buggs Island Lake supports a highly regarded multi-species fishery with largemouth bass, striped bass, crappie, and catfish, managed cooperatively by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Extensive Corps recreation areas, state parks, marinas, and public ramps on both sides of the border draw boaters and anglers from across the Mid-Atlantic.
Water levels are managed by the Corps under a seasonal guide curve, with a summer full-pool target near 300 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29), a winter pool near 295.5 feet, and a flood-control pool extending to about 320 feet. Downstream, releases feed Lake Gaston and the lower Roanoke system, so elevations respond to basin rainfall, power generation, and flood operations—monitoring current lake levels matters for boating, fishing, and dock access.
Current Conditions
Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) is currently 7.35 feet below full pool and has been falling over the past week.
- 7-day trendFallingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeDown 0.88 ft
- 30-day changeDown 2.72 ft
- Drought conditionsModerate Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) is a 50,000-acre reservoir on the Roanoke River managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.