Elk River above Fayetteville, TN Flow & Water Level

NWS river forecast

Forecast from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service. Issued a few times a day and only while a forecast is active. Not for navigation.

Last 30 days

About this gauge

USGS gauge 03582000 sits on the Elk River and reads everything draining 827 square miles of the Upper Elk basin. Its datum sits 650 feet above sea level NAVD88. Daily flow has been on record here since 1971, 29 years of it.

Where this gauge sits in the drainage

One gauged site sits upstream of here. The closest is Tims Ford Lake, reading 529 square miles. This gauge adds the 298 square miles that drain in between.

Normal flows here

The Elk River runs a median of 932 cfs at this gauge across 29 years of record. December is the fullest month at a median 2,290 cfs, and September the leanest at 346 cfs. The highest daily mean on record is 31,300 cfs in 1973, and the lowest is 68 cfs in 1971.

Medians from the USGS daily-statistics record, 1971 to 2026. A month at 100% is running at its own long-term median.

Flood stages and record crests

The Elk River reaches flood stage at this gauge at 17.5 feet. NWS starts watching it at 14 feet. The highest crest on record is 29.5 feet, in December 1990.

Flood categories and crest history from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service, gauge FYTT1. Stages are gage height, not depth. Not for navigation.

TVA dams near this gauge

TVA's Tims Ford Dam is 15 miles from this gauge on the Elk system. Planned generation, lake level and tailwater elevation for it load below when TVA has published them.

• Tims Ford Dam 15 miles