Carters Dam and Lake water level — Georgia
Carters Dam and Lake in Georgia was last measured at 1,073.10 ft (datum NGVD29), as of Aug 22, 2026, 1:15 PM (UTC+00:00) (USACE CWMS Data). Over its recent trend window the level has been rising (+1.2 ft).
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- 380,700 acre-ft
- Recent trend
- ↑Rising
+1.2 ft over the trend window
Recent trend
Readings this station published between Jun 2, 2026 and Jun 7, 2026 — a 5-day window — downsampled for display.
Data: USGS Water Services (waterservices.usgs.gov) and USACE CWMS Data (cwms-data.usace.army.mil), retrieved 2026-08-31. Both public domain (a work of the U.S. Government, 17 U.S.C. §105).
Source: USACE SAM/Carters, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →
About this gauge's record
USACE's continuous elevation record for this project begins in 2007 (2 tracked series for this project).
The dam behind Carters Dam and Lake
Carters Dam and Lake is held back by Carters Main Dam (also recorded as Carters Lake) , a rockfill embankment — quarried rock placed in compacted layers around a sealing core , standing 464 ft high and running 1,950 ft along its crest , built across COOSAWATTEE RIVER in Murray County , near CARTERS . It was completed in 1974 , and is owned by USACE - Mobile District (a federal owner) , to a design credited to CESAM.
Its recorded primary purpose is hydroelectric — releases follow generation schedules, so the level can move on a daily cycle that has nothing to do with drought . It also serves hydroelectric;recreation;flood risk reduction.
It is founded on rock. Its spillway is gated, so the operator can hold the pool above the spillway crest and meter what leaves. The spillway opening is 210 ft wide.
NID classes it high hazard potential. That describes what a failure would cost downstream — loss of life would be expected — and says nothing about how likely a failure is, or what condition the dam is in.
At its normal pool the reservoir covers about 3,275 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 472,800 acre-ft against a normal storage of 383,565 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 18,375 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record GA00821 , filed by US Army Corps of Engineers — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain. Water levels above come from USACE CWMS Data and are a separate source. (How this dam was matched to this gauge →)
How Carters Dam and Lake compares nearby
None of the 6 nearby lakes with a current trend are rising right now — this lake's movement looks specific to its own operation rather than shared regional conditions.
Nearby lakes
The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.
| Lake | State | Level | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carters Reservoir-Regulation Lake | GA | 679.16 ft | 2 km |
| Allatoona Dam and Lake | GA | 840.01 ft | 50 km |
| Buford Dam and Lake Lanier | GA | 1,066.16 ft | 75 km |
| Morgan Falls | GA | 865.32 ft | 77 km |
| Weiss | AL | 564.00 ft | 111 km |
| Hnhenry | AL | 508.00 ft | 157 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Carters Dam and Lake?
- As of Aug 22, 2026, 1:15 PM (UTC+00:00), the pool elevation was 1,073.10 ft (datum NGVD29). See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Carters Dam and Lake full right now?
- Its managing agency does not publish a %-of-conservation-pool-full figure for this lake, so we show the bare level rather than estimate one.
- Where does this data come from?
- From USACE SAM/Carters, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in Georgia
See every lake tracked in Georgia, or read the methodology behind these figures.