Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from NOAA / National Weather Service — Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. Published reference elevations are listed below.
Lake Status
11.05 feet below full pool
−11.05 ft vs full pool
- 7-day trend
- Falling
- 7-day change
- Down 0.77 ft
- 30-day change
- Down 3.08 ft
- Last updated
- 49 minutes ago
Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) is currently 11.05 feet below full pool and has been falling over the past week. Readings show continued drawdown relative to full pool, with levels trending lower over the past week.
Watershed drought conditions
Mecklenburg County, VA · surrounding county from lake location
Severe Drought
Severe drought conditions are present.
Severity
Weekly trend
Stable
Compared with last week
Official drought
Yes
100% of the watershed is currently classified as official drought (D1+).
Expected impacts
- Lower stream inflows
- Lake levels may decline faster
- Vegetation is becoming drier
- Minor increase in wildfire risk
U.S. Drought Monitor · map date Sep 15, 2026. Updated weekly. droughtmonitor.unl.eduView drought map for Mecklenburg County, VA
Key Facts
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Full pool
Winter pool
Flood stage
Datum
Current-level source
Why the level can change
General factors for reservoirs like this
These are common influences for this type of lake. They do not identify the cause of a specific current change unless an operator update confirms it.
Rainfall & inflows
Rain and upstream river inflows can raise reservoir levels, especially after storms.
Downstream releases
When an operator releases water through a dam, reservoir storage can fall and downstream flows can rise.
Flood-risk operations
Some projects store or release water under flood-risk rules when conditions require it.
Water supply
Some reservoirs support municipal, industrial, irrigation, or regional water-supply needs.
Hydropower
Hydropower projects may pass water through turbines when generating electricity.
Seasonal weather
Dry periods, heat, evaporation, and seasonal rainfall patterns can affect storage over weeks and months.
Published reference elevations
- Full pool
- 300.00 ft
- Winter / seasonal pool
- 296.00 ft
- Flood stage
- 320.00 ft
Published reference elevation. Not necessarily a fixed year-round target for every project.
A winter / seasonal pool elevation is published, but Lake Insights does not have verified seasonal operating dates for this lake.
Flood stage is not interchangeable with flood pool.
Current data source
Managing authority: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Observation source used by Lake Insights: NOAA / National Weather Service — Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service
Who manages the lake and who publishes the reading Lake Insights displays can differ. Lake Insights does not invent a source label from the managing authority alone.
General education
Shared background — not lake-specific facts
Lake Insights aggregates water level information from authoritative public sources such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA, TVA, Bureau of Reclamation, power utilities, and other official lake operators. We preserve historical observations, calculate trends, and present lake conditions in a consistent format. For NOAA / National Weather Service — Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, we link to the official source whenever it is available. Lake Insights does not predict future lake levels unless an official forecast has been published by the managing authority.
Common questions about Kerr Lake (Buggs Island)
- Who manages Kerr Lake (Buggs Island)?
- Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Lake Insights reports published gauge readings; it does not operate the waterbody.
- What is full pool at Kerr Lake (Buggs Island)?
- The published full-pool elevation for Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) is 300.00 ft (NGVD29). Full pool is a published reference elevation — not a prediction of today’s level.
- Does Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) have a published winter pool?
- Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) has a published winter / seasonal pool elevation of 296.00 ft. Lake Insights does not currently have verified seasonal operating dates for this lake.
- Where does Lake Insights get the level reading for Kerr Lake (Buggs Island)?
- Lake Insights displays the latest available elevation for Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) from NOAA / National Weather Service — Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. The managing authority (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) may differ from the agency that publishes the observation used on this page.
- What datum is used for Kerr Lake (Buggs Island)?
- Elevations for Kerr Lake (Buggs Island) are referenced to NGVD29 (MSL).