Lake Norman Lake Levels

From those looking to buy on the lake or use the lake for recreational purposes, we often get asked questions about the lake levels on Lake Norman. So today, we’re gonna take a look at this topic and provide you some insight into lake levels. Lakes all around the country are handled differently in regards to maintaining lake levels.

Lake Norman as well as Lake Wylie have dams operated by Duke Energy that control the water levels in these lakes. The lake has target levels as well as minimum and maximum levels that Duke maintains. You can go to Duke Energy’s Lake Services website to get the current lake levels and target levels.

Let’s take a look at that page. You can see that the current level today is 96.4 feet. You can also call 1 800-829 Lake to get the lake level by phone. This measurement is based on a full pond reading of a 100 feet. As you can see, this is right around the target level that Duke has set.

If we look at the 13 month history, you can also see the variation throughout the year. The black line is the max level at full pond. The blue line is the minimum and the green line is the target. The light blue line is the actual lake levels throughout the year. You can see that there were variations, but the actual lake levels hovered around the target levels.

So while there are changes in the lake levels, they are not nearly as drastic as you will find on many other lakes. You can also see that the target level is highest between April September, which corresponds with the peak periods of recreational activity. Referencing these tables is also beneficial when you’re looking at waterfront properties. You want to make sure that your dock has good water depth, especially where you’re going to be pulling your boat in and out. So if you’re out on the dock on February 1st and you have good water, when the target level is 94 feet and the actual water level is 96 feet, then you will have a feel for what the water depth will be like on May 1st when the target level is 98 feet and the actual water level this year was 98.9.

You can also use the minimum target levels to get a gauge of what the water levels would be at the extreme lows. If we scroll down, you will also see this statement. Normal full pond elevation equals 100 feet equals 760 feet. I want to take a second and explain the 760 line, which is what the 100 foot number we mentioned earlier is based on. Let’s jump over to a topo map of Lake Norman that shows the elevation contour lines.

When we zoom in, you see the elevation numbers. The 760 line runs roughly along the shoreline. The 760 elevation line is where Lake Norman is at full pond. It also demarks where Duke Energy’s oversight starts and stops. Any activities that would require permitting or approval at the 760 or below would go through Duke.

Above the 760 line, oversight would depend on if the activities were in the buffer zone, as well as the specific county and neighborhood guidelines. Well, I hope this video gave you some good background information into lake levels on Lake Norman. If you have any questions, please reach out. We are here to help. Thanks.

By Chip Free

Chip Free is a seasoned real estate advisor with Lake Realty, a locally established firm in Lake Norman that his father founded over 30 years ago.