Philpott Lake lake and shoreline

Philpott Lake Water Level

Officially Philpott Lake (Smith River)

Virginia

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Philpott Lake

Philpott Lake is currently 7.0 feet below full pool, with a water-surface elevation of 967.0 feet.

966.98 ft · Updated 2 hours ago · U.S. Geological Survey

Current level

966.98ft

−7.02 ft vs full pool

Low

Vs full pool

Since last reading

Down 0.07 ft

Previous readingSep 26967.11 ft

7-day change

Down 0.09 ft

7-day trend: Falling

8 daily readings in the last 7 days

30-day change

Down 2.72 ft

31 daily readings in the last 30 days

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Water Level History

Current
966.98 ft
24h
-0.07 ft
7d
-0.09 ft
30d
-2.72 ft

Elevation (ft) NGVD29 · MSL

Reference line is designed full pool.

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Lake Level Context

Level remains below the full pool

Philpott Lake is currently 966.98 ft, 7.02 ft below its full pool. The lake has fallen 0.09 ft over the past 7 days and 2.72 ft over the past 30 days.

Philpott Lake Level Details

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

Conditions & Reference

Level status

7.02 ft below full pool

Current level
966.98 ft
Full pool
974 ft
DatumElevation referenced to National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
NGVD29
Elevation reference
MSL
Source
USGS

Reference levels

  • Full pool974 ft
  • Flood stage985 ft

Watershed drought

Moderate Drought

82.4% of watershed in official drought (D1+).

Severity

NoneExtreme
Trend
Stable

Watershed drought conditions

Franklin County, VA

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

82.4% 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 Franklin County, VA

Daily level summary

DateLevelChange
Sep 27, 2026967.04-0.07
Sep 26, 2026967.11-0.06
Sep 25, 2026967.17-0.06
Sep 24, 2026967.23-0.01
Sep 23, 2026967.24+0.02
Sep 22, 2026967.22+0.04
Sep 21, 2026967.18+0.05

Common questions about Philpott Lake’s water level

  • The current water level at Philpott Lake is 966.98 ft (updated 2 hours ago). You can track the Philpott Lake lake level on the interactive chart and daily history above.

  • Full pool for Philpott Lake is 974 ft — the normal conservation target elevation when the reservoir is at its designed summer or operating pool.

  • The current 7-day trend for the Philpott Lake lake level is falling — falling about 0.09 ft over the past week. See the history chart above for the full picture.

  • Based on the latest gauge reading, Philpott Lake is currently 7.02 ft below full pool.

Lake level glossary

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

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