Last reading · NGVD29
Lake Lanier Water Level Today
The last reading for Lake Lanier, the Chattahoochee River reservoir behind Buford Dam, was 1,063.59 ft (NGVD29) on Oct 17, 2026. That's 7.14 ft below its top of conservation pool of 1,070.73 ft. Lake Lanier is 2.76 ft lower than on the same date last year.
−7.14 ft
Below full pool
1,063.59 ft
Oct 17, 2026 EDT
- 7-day change−0.21 ftOct 10, 2026
- 30-day change−1.20 ftSep 17, 2026
- Vs last year−2.76 ftOct 17, 2025
- ReadingOct 17, 20261,063.59 ft
Is Lake Lanier Full?
No. Lake Lanier is 7.14 ft below its top of conservation pool of 1,070.73 ft. On Oct 17, 2026, the elevation was 1,063.59 ft (NGVD29 datum). Over the 30 days ending Oct 17, 2026, Lake Lanier has fallen 1.20 ft. The mean for this calendar day across 11 earlier years (2015–2025) is 1,067.65 ft, and the latest reading is 4.06 ft below it.
Lake Lanier Level vs Last Year & Historical Average
Comparisons for Lake Lanier use the same NGVD29 series as the chart. The series begins Sep 30, 2015 and has 4029 daily values. Lake Lanier is 2.76 ft lower than on the same date last year. In that window, the lowest daily level was 1,060.22 ft on Dec 30, 2016, and the highest was 1,076.67 ft on Feb 19, 2020.
| Mark | Date | Elevation | Vs latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Latest reading | Oct 17, 2026 | 1,063.59 ft | — |
| 7 days earlier | Oct 10, 2026 | 1,063.80 ft | −0.21 ft |
| 30 days earlier | Sep 17, 2026 | 1,064.79 ft | −1.20 ft |
| 1 year earlier | Oct 17, 2025 | 1,066.35 ft | −2.76 ft |
| Same-day mean (11 years) | — | 1,067.65 ft | −4.06 ft |
Lake Lanier Water Level Chart
Daily elevation Full pool (top of conservation pool) Latest
Full pool (top of conservation pool): 1,070.73 ft (above the chart's range).
| Start | End | Low | High | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 | 1,063.59 ft | 1,064.74 ft | 30 |
Full pool (top of conservation pool): 1,070.73 ft (above the chart's range).
| Start | End | Low | High | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 2025 | Oct 17, 2026 | 1,063.59 ft | 1,066.78 ft | 366 |
Full pool (top of conservation pool): 1,070.73 ft.
| Start | End | Low | High | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 19, 2016 | Oct 17, 2026 | 1,060.22 ft | 1,076.67 ft | 3644 |
Monthly High, Low, and Average
Each row is the high, low, and average of the daily Lake Lanier elevations in that month (Oct 2025 through Oct 2026). The lowest monthly average in this table is Oct 2026 at 1,063.79 ft (17 days). The highest monthly average is Jun 2026 at 1,066.67 ft.
| Month | High | Low | Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 1,067.66 | 1,065.74 | 1,066.56 |
| Nov 2025 | 1,065.91 | 1,064.47 | 1,065.11 |
| Dec 2025 | 1,064.60 | 1,064.27 | 1,064.47 |
| Jan 2026 | 1,065.52 | 1,064.19 | 1,065.08 |
| Feb 2026 | 1,066.00 | 1,065.45 | 1,065.59 |
| Mar 2026 | 1,066.31 | 1,065.95 | 1,066.13 |
| Apr 2026 | 1,066.09 | 1,065.74 | 1,065.92 |
| May 2026 | 1,066.72 | 1,065.65 | 1,065.95 |
| Jun 2026 | 1,066.78 | 1,066.45 | 1,066.67 |
| Jul 2026 | 1,066.54 | 1,065.90 | 1,066.24 |
| Aug 2026 | 1,066.48 | 1,065.62 | 1,066.20 |
| Sep 2026 | 1,065.57 | 1,064.09 | 1,064.85 |
| Oct 2026 | 1,064.03 | 1,063.59 | 1,063.79 |
About This Data
| Agency | U.S. Geological Survey |
|---|---|
| Station | LAKE SIDNEY LANIER NEAR BUFORD, GA (02334400) |
| Parameter | USGS parameter 00062, reservoir elevation, feet (Elevation of reservoir water surface above datum, ft) |
| Datum | NGVD29 |
| Formula | Same-day USACE CWMS Buford.Elev.Inst.1Hour.0.Raw-USGS is 1063.59 ft (NGVD29), 0.00 ft from the USGS reading. |
| Full pool | Full pool (top of conservation pool): 1,070.73 ft |
| Full-pool source | https://cwms-data.usace.army.mil/cwms-data/levels?office=SAM&name=Buford.Elev.Inst.0.Top+of+Conservation&page-size=20 |
| Latest reading | Oct 17, 2026 EDT (2026-10-17 13:15 UTC) |
| Series file | data/raw/lake-lanier/usgs-dv-00062-20261017T132852Z.json, data/raw/lake-lanier/usgs-iv-20261017T132852Z.json, data/raw/lake-lanier/usgs-site-20261017T132852Z.html, data/raw/lake-lanier/cwms-catalog-20261017T132852Z.json |
| Note | Provisional data, subject to revision. |
How We Calculate These Numbers
Daily history for Lake Lanier uses the USGS daily mean when the saved response includes one; otherwise it keeps the last instantaneous reading for each local date. For Lake Lanier, full pool (top of conservation pool) is 1,070.73 ft. The difference on Oct 17, 2026 is −7.14 ft (1,063.59 minus 1,070.73). The same-day mean at Lake Lanier uses 11 readings on this calendar day from 2015 through 2025 and equals 1,067.65 ft. All of these figures come from station 02334400. Percent full is shown only when an agency published it; it is never estimated by dividing elevation by a pool elevation.
FAQ
Is Lake Lanier full?
No. On Oct 17, 2026, Lake Lanier was 1,063.59 ft, 7.14 ft below its top of conservation pool of 1,070.73 ft.
What is full pool at Lake Lanier?
Full pool at Lake Lanier is 1,070.73 ft (NGVD29). On Oct 17, 2026, the lake was 7.14 ft below it. The source is linked under About This Data.
Is Lake Lanier higher than last year?
No, Lake Lanier is lower than last year. On Oct 17, 2025 it was 1,066.35 ft; on Oct 17, 2026 it is 1,063.59 ft (−2.76 ft).
Where does the Lake Lanier data come from?
U.S. Geological Survey station 02334400, USGS parameter 00062, reservoir elevation, feet (Elevation of reservoir water surface above datum, ft). The datum is NGVD29. Provisional data are subject to revision.
Nearby Lakes
| Lake | Level | Reading | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Allatoona | 835.01 ft | Oct 17, 2026 | 37 mi |
| Lake Murray | 354.49 ft | Oct 17, 2026 | 163 mi |
| Jordan Lake | 213.59 ft | Oct 17, 2026 | 302 mi |
| Kerr Lake | 288.33 ft | Oct 17, 2026 | 366 mi |