Lake Harding (Bartletts Ferry) Water Level
Lake Harding (Bartletts Ferry) is at 520.37 ft today (Oct 31), 0.63 ft below its 521 ft full pool, up 0.46 ft this week.
Georgia & Alabama · Chattahoochee River
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Water level history
About Lake Harding (Bartletts Ferry)
Lake Harding (Bartletts Ferry) is a reservoir on the Chattahoochee River in Georgia & Alabama, operated by Georgia Power. Its full summer pool sits at 521 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding Lake Harding (Bartletts Ferry)'s water level
Bartletts Ferry Dam went into service in 1926, built by the Columbus Power Company to make electricity from the Chattahoochee, and Georgia Power bought it in 1930. The lake behind it goes by two names, Lake Harding and Bartletts Ferry, and the second is often shortened to Bart's. It covers about 5,850 acres with roughly 156 miles of shoreline, averages around 32 feet deep, and reaches about 111 feet near the dam. The river here is the state line, so the lake is split between Harris County, Georgia, on the east bank and Lee and Chambers counties, Alabama, on the west. The dam itself is a long, mixed structure: a 1,230 foot, 22 bay labyrinth auxiliary spillway, an earth embankment, a 634 foot concrete gravity spillway, and two powerhouses holding six Francis turbines with 173 megawatts of combined capacity.
Bart's is a peaking plant, and its level moves on a daily rhythm rather than a seasonal one. FERC's description of the project puts the normal operating band between 518.16 and 520.16 feet above mean sea level, with an average daily swing of about three quarters of a foot, and Georgia Power coordinates its releases with the Corps of Engineers' peaking operations at West Point Dam, the next dam upstream. In practice that means water arrives in pulses from West Point, is held briefly, and is sent through the turbines when power is most valuable. Note the datum: full pool is 521.0 feet on Georgia Power's own plant datum, which equals 520.16 feet on the mean sea level scale, so a reading near 521 means the lake is essentially full. Downstream sit Goat Rock, Oliver and North Highlands, the three dams of Georgia Power's separate Middle Chattahoochee Project.
The one big planned change in level is the triennial drawdown. About every three years, usually in October or November, Georgia Power lowers the lake roughly eight feet so residents can repair docks, seawalls and boat lifts. The Lake Harding Association has noted the utility has no operational reason of its own to do it. The 2025 drawdown began October 27, reached its 513 foot target around November 5, and refill started December 6. Refill depends on rain and on West Point having water to spare. In 2016 drought left West Point too low to release extra water, and Harding stayed down longer than planned. That 2016 drawdown also exposed heavy silt in Osanippa Creek left by the December 2015 floods. The current FERC license, issued in December 2014, runs to November 2044, and in 2025 the Department of Energy completed an environmental assessment for upgrades to generating units 1 through 4.
Lake Harding (Bartletts Ferry) — frequently asked
What is Lake Harding's full pool?
Full pool is 521.0 feet on Georgia Power's plant datum, which is 520.16 feet above mean sea level. FERC's project description gives a normal operating range of 518.16 to 520.16 feet msl, so on a typical day the lake sits within two feet of full and moves only about three quarters of a foot. If a gauge reads around 520 to 521, the lake is effectively at normal summer level.
Does Lake Harding have a winter drawdown?
Not a routine annual one like many Southeastern reservoirs. Bartletts Ferry runs in a narrow daily band year round. The larger drop comes about every three years, when Georgia Power lowers the lake roughly eight feet in the fall for shoreline work. Outside those years, a noticeably low reading usually reflects drought upstream at West Point Lake or a short operational need rather than a scheduled seasonal pool.
When is the next Lake Harding drawdown?
The Lake Harding Association describes these as triennial drawdowns, with documented events in 2016, a planned one in 2019, and the most recent in fall 2025, which started October 27 and aimed for 513 feet by November 5. Georgia Power sets the dates and announces them ahead of time, and the Lake Harding Association posts the schedule.
Why does the lake take so long to refill after a drawdown?
Bart's has no large storage of its own to draw on; refill water has to come down the Chattahoochee from the Corps of Engineers' West Point Lake. In a wet fall the lake can return in days. In 2005 the refill began November 7 and the lake was back to full pool by November 11. In 2016 drought kept West Point too low to release extra water, and Harding stayed down well past the planned date.
Who owns Bartletts Ferry Dam and when does its license expire?
Georgia Power owns and operates the dam under FERC Project No. 485. The Columbus Power Company built it in 1926 and Georgia Power acquired it in 1930. The current license was issued December 17, 2014 and expires November 26, 2044. The plant has two powerhouses with 65 and 108 megawatts of capacity, and an upgrade of units 1 through 4 received an environmental assessment in 2025.
What is the fishing like on Bartletts Ferry?
Georgia DNR lists largemouth, spotted, hybrid and striped bass, crappie and catfish as best bets. Spotted bass are plentiful but small and have no minimum size, so biologists encourage harvest. Hybrids were stocked for a fourth straight year in 2025 and average about 18 inches. Crappie sampled in 2025 were fewer than average but 16 percent longer than the historic mean, and spring stripers run up toward Riverview Dam.
Are there low water hazards on Lake Harding?
Georgia DNR warns that boating can be hazardous during low flows at the upper end of the lake, below Riverview Dam, and asks boaters to follow the marker buoys. During a triennial drawdown, Georgia Power has advised residents to take boats off lifts. Shoreline construction during a drawdown, including dock and seawall repairs, requires a permit approved by Georgia Power.
Other lakes near Lake Harding (Bartletts Ferry)
- Lake HartwellGA/SC
- Lake ChatugeGA/NC
- J. Strom Thurmond Lake (Clarks Hill)GA/SC
- Carters LakeGA
- Lake LanierGA
- Lake Blue RidgeGA
See current levels for all 16 Georgia lakes and reservoirs →
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