Lake Blue Ridge water level: TVA’s yearly guide curve

TVA posts the daily water level for Lake Blue Ridge (TVA’s Blue Ridge Reservoir) in Fannin County, Georgia, on its Blue Ridge lake-levels page. This guide doesn’t print readings, because they change every day. What we can explain is TVA’s guide curve, the yearly plan that moves the lake about 22 feet between summer and winter.

TVA’s guide curve through the year

TVA sets guidelines for how high or low the lake should be throughout the year, and weather can change them (TVA). The curve below comes from TVA’s own data feed for Blue Ridge. We print only the points we checked against it, not a daily value for every month.

The winter low is about 1,664.8 ft at the turn of the year, with a Flood Guide of 1,668 ft (TVA). The lake fills through spring to about 1,677.5 ft on April 1 (TVA). It peaks around June 1 at about 1,686.8 ft and holds near 1,686 ft through July (TVA). The drawdown starts in August, reaching 1,684.35 ft by Aug. 15, and keeps falling through the fall to the winter low (TVA).

How to read TVA’s page

TVA’s page shows the reading and the guide curve together. The guide curve is a plan, not a forecast. When the reading sits close to the curve, the lake is where TVA intends it to be for that date. When it sits well above or below, weather has moved it, and launch conditions can differ from what the season suggests.

In a year with normal rainfall, the lake level varies by about 22 feet between summer and winter. The swing provides seasonal flood storage. (TVA, checked Oct 18, 2026)

That swing is the lake’s flood storage. TVA lists 68,500 acre-feet of flood-storage capacity at Blue Ridge (TVA). TVA also lists the top of the dam’s gates at elevation 1,691 ft, which it calls the highest the water can safely go (TVA). Weather can push the real level off the curve, which is one more reason to check TVA’s page rather than a chart.

What the swing means for docks and ramps

A drop of about 22 feet from summer to winter changes the shore. Shoreline that is underwater in summer is exposed in winter. A boat ramp that reaches deep water in summer may end well short of it in winter, so check TVA’s reading before you trailer a boat. Our boat ramp guide lists all three Forest Service launches and the marina.

Dock owners plan around the same curve. Building or changing a dock on a TVA reservoir needs a TVA Section 26a permit (TVA). Read TVA 26a dock permits on Lake Blue Ridge before you buy or build. Swimmers will notice the change too; see our swimming guide for the one designated swim area.

Plan your visit by month

The dam safety study and lake levels

As of October 2026, TVA says Blue Ridge Dam is currently safe for normal operations and is studying ways to reduce long-term risk (TVA). As of its July 2, 2026, update, TVA says the study is scheduled to be completed during calendar year 2026 (TVA). As of October 2026, TVA also says it has no active plans to change the reservoir’s seasonal levels, either temporarily or permanently, while the study is under way.

TVA has not said how far or for how long the lake might ever be lowered. It calls that premature until the study is done, while noting that extended drawdowns are common during major dam remediations (TVA). As of Oct. 18, 2026, a Federal Register search found no public notice for the project yet. Nothing about a drawdown has been decided. Our article on the Blue Ridge Dam safety study tracks it, and our Blue Ridge Dam page covers the dam itself.

Questions people ask