Lake Blackshear Water Level
Lake Blackshear is at 236.70 ft today (Oct 31), 0.30 ft below its 237 ft full pool, down 0.22 ft this week.
Georgia · Flint River
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Water level history
About Lake Blackshear
Lake Blackshear is a reservoir on the Flint River in Georgia, operated by Crisp County Power. Its full summer pool sits at 237 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge at the dam and update hourly.
Understanding Lake Blackshear's water level
Lake Blackshear is held at 237 feet above sea level by the Crisp County Power Commission's dam at Warwick, at river mile 134.7 on the Flint River about 25 miles upstream of Albany. The dam is long and low: 4,462 feet in all, with a gated spillway of fourteen tainter gates, each 25 feet wide and 17 feet high, and a powerhouse rated at 15.2 megawatts. Behind it lie about 8,700 acres of water but only 34,800 acre-feet of usable storage, with an average depth near eleven feet. That thin margin explains how the lake behaves. There is little room to absorb a Flint River flood, so when a big rise is forecast the Commission lowers the lake ahead of it to make space. Before the March 2023 high flow it had the lake at 231.21 feet, 5.79 feet below full pool, because the gates pass about 44,000 cubic feet per second and the river was forecast to bring just over 50,000. In September 2020 it dropped the lake about a foot and a half ahead of Hurricane Sally.
The flood every resident still measures against came in July 1994. Tropical Storm Alberto made landfall at Destin, Florida, on July 3, crawled through southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia, and stalled just south of Atlanta, dropping record rain on the Flint basin. The lake rose 11.5 feet above normal, and in the early hours of July 9 water overtopped the north embankment and cut a breach about 700 feet wide. The dam structure itself was unharmed, though water got into the powerhouse. The lake drained back toward the old river channel. When Georgia Outdoor News went to press for its August 1994 issue the lake was 14 feet low, with an estimated 65 to 70 percent of the lakebed dry, and DNR had closed it for at least a month. Downstream, the Flint River Dam in Albany breached too. Repairs, including a 2,400-foot cement-bentonite cutoff wall and a lower embankment crest armored with a concrete cap to add spillway capacity, were substantially complete by the end of July 1995. The north embankment today carries a 630-foot concrete auxiliary spillway section with its crest at 238 feet, one foot above full pool.
The Commission was created in 1925 by an amendment to the Georgia Constitution, sold $1.25 million in revenue bonds to build the dam, and first generated power in August 1930. The New Georgia Encyclopedia calls it the first county-owned, county-built and county-operated hydroelectric project in the country; the lake was a secondary benefit. Many trees were left standing when the valley filled, and stumps and living cypress still stand in the lake, which is why the Commission reminds boaters about underwater obstructions whenever the level drops. When the lake was lowered for maintenance in 1973 and 1974, a Columbus Museum survey of the exposed bottom recorded more than 200 archaeological sites. Georgia DNR describes a shallow reservoir with largemouth bass averaging 12 to 15 inches, hybrid bass stocked every year, white bass, a small striped bass population limited by habitat, and abundant channel catfish. In March 2026 a longnose gar of 31 pounds, 14 ounces caught near Cordele set a new state record. DNR also warns that hydrilla has recently been introduced, so check trailers and live wells for plant fragments before launching.
Lake Blackshear — frequently asked
What is Lake Blackshear's full pool?
Normal full pool is 237 feet above mean sea level, the normal maximum water surface named in the dam's federal license. At that level the lake covers about 8,700 acres and holds 34,800 acre-feet of usable storage. A reading a few hundredths below 237 is ordinary. The auxiliary spillway crest on the north embankment sits at 238 feet, and the embankment crest at 247 feet.
When is the next Lake Blackshear drawdown?
The Crisp County Power Commission lowers the lake every other year in November and December. The next drawdown begins November 1, 2026, taking the lake gradually down about 3.5 to 4 feet below full pool. Refilling starts December 15, and the lake is usually back up by Christmas unless the Flint is running very low. The drawdown helps control nuisance vegetation and gives owners a window to repair docks and seawalls.
Why is Lake Blackshear low?
Most low readings have a planned cause. In the fall of even years the lake is lowered 3.5 to 4 feet for the winter drawdown. When a large Flint River rise is forecast, the Commission draws the lake down in advance to make room for it, by about 1.5 feet before Hurricane Sally in 2020 and by nearly 6 feet before the March 2023 high flow. Otherwise the level follows rainfall and river flow.
What happened to the Lake Blackshear dam in 1994?
Tropical Storm Alberto's rain raised the lake 11.5 feet above normal, and early on July 9, 1994, water overtopped the north embankment and opened a breach about 700 feet wide. The main dam structure held, but the lake drained to little more than the river channel and stayed 14 feet low into August. Repairs, including a 2,400-foot cutoff wall, were substantially finished by the end of July 1995.
Is it safe to boat on Lake Blackshear during high water or a drawdown?
The lake's operators urge caution at both extremes. During the March 2023 high flow the plant manager advised staying off the lake entirely because heavy currents could pull boats downlake. When the level is lowered, stumps and other obstructions left from the original forest come closer to the surface, and water in boathouses can drop a couple of feet. Stay well away from the dam whenever flows are high.
What fish are in Lake Blackshear?
Georgia DNR lists largemouth bass, hybrid, white and striped bass, channel, flathead and blue catfish, bluegill, redear sunfish and crappie. It is the only reservoir in southwest Georgia where anglers can expect both black and white crappie, typically 9 to 12 inches. Hybrids, stocked annually, average 1 to 3 pounds and are best from late September through April below the Highway 280 bridge. The tailrace can give up bass over 8 pounds.
Who operates Lake Blackshear and when was it built?
The Crisp County Power Commission, a public utility formed in 1925 by a state constitutional amendment, built the dam with $1.25 million in revenue bonds and began generating power in August 1930. It still runs the dam under a FERC license, manages shoreline permits for docks and seawalls, and schedules the drawdowns. Georgia Veterans State Park, about 1,300 acres, sits on the east side of the lake.
Other lakes near Lake Blackshear
- Lake Blue RidgeGA
- Lake AllatoonaGA
- Carters LakeGA
- West Point LakeGA/AL
- Lake ChatugeGA/NC
- Walter F. George Reservoir (Lake Eufaula)GA/AL
See current levels for all 16 Georgia lakes and reservoirs →
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