Lake Hartwell, GA and SC

As of 2026-10-13, Lake Hartwell sits at 649.40 ft, which is low for this time of year. That is 10.60 ft below full pool of 660.00 ft. Over the past 30 days the level has fallen 0.73 ft.

The most recent reading at Lake Hartwell is 649.40 ft (2026-10-13), sourced from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Readings on this page refresh automatically as the agency publishes new data.

The highest level for Lake Hartwell in our records is 664.85 ft on 2016-01-06. The lowest is 637.49 ft on 2008-12-10. Our record covers about 39 years of readings.

Compared with every October in our records, the current level is higher than 12% of them, which we classify as low for this time of year. Seasonal comparison matters more than the raw number, because most reservoirs draw down predictably through late summer and refill over winter and spring.

Reservoir levels move for four main reasons: rainfall and runoff into the basin, releases through the dam for downstream water supply, power generation or flood control, evaporation during hot months, and seasonal drawdown schedules set by the operating agency. Lake Hartwell has fallen 0.73 ft over the past 30 days. For the operational reason on any given week, check the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers directly.

Lake Hartwell is -6.93 ft compared with this date last year (649.40 ft today). The full-history chart above covers 39 years, with a record high of 664.85 ft and a record low of 637.49 ft.