633.74 ft
RisingPartly Sunny · 9.2 mph NE
Good
Best window: 4:05 AM–5:05 AM
Level 1 hour ago · Weather 1 hour ago · Chattanooga, Lovell Field
Nickajack Lake is managed by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Lake Insights displays its latest available elevation from NOAA / National Weather Service — Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. Published reference elevations are listed below.
0.26 feet below full pool
−0.26 ft vs full pool
Nickajack Lake is currently 0.26 feet below full pool and has risen slightly over the past week. Recent conditions indicate improving reservoir levels, although the lake remains below its normal operating elevation.
Marion County, TN · U.S. Drought Monitor county statistics at the lake location (not a lake-specific designation)
Moderate Drought
The largest share of Marion County, TN is in Moderate Drought (D1), an official USDM drought category. These figures describe the surrounding county from the lake location, not the lake itself.
Severity
Weekly trend
Stable
Compared with last week
Official drought (D1–D4)
Yes
99.5% of the surrounding county is in official drought categories (D1–D4). Dominant category remains Moderate Drought.
Typical county impacts (USDM guidance)
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 Marion County, TN
Managing authority
Waterbody / project type
Official purposes
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.
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.
Managing authority: Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
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.
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.
Full pool
Winter pool
Current-level source
Project / NID identifier
Dam / watershed (NID inventory record)
Dated National Inventory of Dams fields from a confidently matched record — design values and inventory dates, not live gage readings and not a current inspection or safety determination. An older or missing inspection date does not mean the dam is currently unsafe.
Last inspection date: Sep 30, 2024
Inventory record values only. Dates shown are what NID published for this dam entry — not a Lake Insights inspection or an up-to-date safety rating.
National Inventory of Dams · matched record: Nickajack Dam (TN11502) · last inspection date on record Sep 30, 2024
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.