Little River Reservoir water level — Virginia
Little River Reservoir in Virginia was last measured at 1,771.79 ft (datum NAVD88), as of Aug 31, 2026, 3:30 AM (UTC-04:00) (USGS Water Services). Over its recent trend window the level has been rising (+0.1 ft). This reading is provisional and subject to revision.
- % of conservation pool full
- Not reported
- Storage
- Not reported
- Recent trend
- ↑Rising
+0.1 ft over the trend window
Recent trend
Readings this station published between Jun 2, 2026 and Aug 31, 2026 — a 89-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: USGS site 03170500, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00). Official page for this lake →
About this gauge's record
This site's drainage basin covers approximately 351 sq mi of contributing watershed.
The dam behind Little River Reservoir
Little River Reservoir is held back by Radford (also recorded as Little River Hydro) , a buttress dam — a thin upstream face braced by a row of supports behind it , standing 52 ft high and running 293 ft along its crest , built across Little River in Montgomery County , near Radford . It was completed in 1934 , and is owned by Radford City of (a local government owner) .
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 is founded on rock, with a concrete core. Its spillway is gated, so the operator can hold the pool above the spillway crest and meter what leaves. The spillway opening is 178 ft wide. Its outlet works use tainter (radial)8.
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. Its most recent condition assessment was satisfactory — no deficiencies recognised for expected loading. That assessment is dated 04/11/2023.
At its normal pool the reservoir covers about 350 acres. NID records a maximum storage of 1,600 acre-ft against a normal storage of 1,600 acre-ft. Its maximum discharge capacity is 1,590 cubic feet per second.
Dam facts: National Inventory of Dams record VA121001 , filed by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission — U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, public domain. Water levels above come from USGS Water Services and are a separate source. (How this dam was matched to this gauge →)
How Little River Reservoir compares nearby
4 of 6 nearby lakes with a current trend are also rising right now.
Nearby lakes
The six nearest published lakes by centroid distance (great-circle) — cross-state neighbors included.
| Lake | State | Level | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claytor Lake | VA | 1,845.63 ft | 1 km |
| Philpott Reservoir | VA | 969.46 ft | 59 km |
| Bluestone Lake | WV | 1,410.94 ft | 69 km |
| W. Kerr Scott Reservoir | NC | 1,030.25 ft | 120 km |
| River.d. Bailey Lake | WV | 1,035.39 ft | 125 km |
| Summersville Lake | WV | 1,652.46 ft | 130 km |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the current water level of Little River Reservoir?
- As of Aug 31, 2026, 3:30 AM (UTC-04:00), the pool elevation was 1,771.79 ft (datum NAVD88), provisional and subject to revision. See the trend chart above for the recent direction.
- Is Little River Reservoir 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 USGS site 03170500, retrieved Aug 31, 2026, 8:24 AM (UTC+00:00).
More in Virginia
See every lake tracked in Virginia, or read the methodology behind these figures.