Overview
Wheeler Lake is a roughly 67,070-acre mainstem reservoir on the Tennessee River in north Alabama, stretching through the Decatur and Huntsville region. Wheeler Dam was completed in the 1930s and is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority for navigation, hydropower, flood storage, and recreation. Together with Wilson and Pickwick downstream, Wheeler helps cover the historic Muscle Shoals that once blocked river traffic.
With about 1,027 miles of shoreline, Wheeler is one of the longest-shoreline lakes in the TVA system, mixing broad open water, creek embayments, islands, and developed industrial and residential shoreline. The navigation pool is held within a narrow seasonal band to keep commercial traffic moving.
Wheeler supports major recreational fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, sauger, and catfish, with fisheries managed by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Wildlife refuges, city parks, marinas, and public ramps around Decatur, Athens, and the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge provide extensive access.
Water levels on Wheeler Lake are managed by TVA with a minimum winter elevation of 550.5 feet above mean sea level and a typical summer operating range of 555 to 556 feet. The lake sits between Lake Guntersville upstream and Wilson Lake downstream, so monitoring current lake levels remains useful for boating, fishing, and shoreline activities even though seasonal swings are modest.
Current Conditions
Wheeler Lake is currently 0.22 feet below full pool and has remained relatively stable over the past seven days.
- 7-day trendStableLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeUp 0.01 ft
- 30-day changeDown 0.23 ft
- Drought conditionsNo Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Wheeler Lake is a 67,070-acre reservoir on the Tennessee River managed by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).