John W. Flannagan Reservoir Water Level
John W. Flannagan Reservoir is at 1,391.03 ft today (Oct 31), 4.97 ft below its 1,396 ft full pool, down 2.10 ft this week.
Virginia · Pound River
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Water level history
About John W. Flannagan Reservoir
John W. Flannagan Reservoir is a reservoir on the Pound River in Virginia, operated by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Its full summer pool sits at 1396 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CWMS) and update hourly.
Understanding John W. Flannagan Reservoir's water level
John W. Flannagan Reservoir is a flood control lake first. The Corps of Engineers' Huntington District built the dam on the Pound River in Dickenson County between 1960 and 1964, about seven miles by road from Haysi, as part of the Big Sandy River flood protection system. It is an earth and rockfill dam with a clay core, 250 feet high and 916 feet long, controlling 221 square miles of drainage. Releases leave through a 262 foot intake tower into the Russell Fork, which runs on to the Levisa Fork and the Big Sandy, and a gated emergency spillway sits south of the dam. Congress authorized the project in the Flood Control Act of 1938, and it carries the name of John W. Flannagan Jr., who represented Virginia's Ninth District from 1931 to 1949 and pushed for it. Beyond flood storage, the lake supplies drinking water for Dickenson and Buchanan counties and is used to augment low flows downstream.
The level follows a simple yearly cycle. Summer pool is 1,396 feet above sea level. In October and November the Corps lowers the lake about 16 feet to winter pool, opening room to catch winter and spring runoff, and it usually brings the lake back to summer pool in April. The fall drawdown is also the Russell Fork's whitewater season: the water comes out over four October weekends at roughly 800 to 1,100 cubic feet per second, feeding a run that goes from Class II just below the dam to Class V and harder through the Breaks Interstate Park gorge. The cycle matters at the ramps. Virginia DWR lists only the Junction ramp near the marina as usable year round. The Lower Twin, Pound River, Cranesnest and Spillway ramps work only at summer pool, so from late fall to spring most launching happens at Junction.
At full pool the lake covers about 1,143 acres, reaches 166 feet at its deepest and averages 58 feet, with summer clarity often past 20 feet. Two long arms, the Pound River and the Cranesnest River, meet near the marina. State biologists find smallmouth bass on the rocky banks and bluffs of the lower lake and the Pound arm, while largemouth dominate the Cranesnest arm. Flannagan is a priority walleye water, stocked at around 100 fingerlings per acre a year. Catches fell after a fall 2004 fish kill, and missed stockings in 2016 and 2018 left gaps in later samples, but the 2025 gill net rate of 15.1 fish per net night beat the ten year average of 12.8. Hybrid striped bass have been stocked yearly since 1999. Crappie were rebuilt from 1998 with adult stockings, brush shelters and a 10 inch minimum. In 2010 a Haysi angler took a three pound yellow perch here that set a state record, though biologists have never sampled the species in the lake.
John W. Flannagan Reservoir — frequently asked
What is Flannagan Reservoir's full pool level?
Summer pool is 1,396 feet above sea level, the figure used by the Corps of Engineers, Virginia DWR and the Town of Haysi. At that level the lake covers roughly 1,143 to 1,145 acres, with a maximum depth of 166 feet. The lake is not meant to sit at that elevation all year; it is drawn down about 16 feet each fall to make room for flood storage.
Why is Flannagan Reservoir so low in winter?
The drop is planned. Every October and November the Corps lowers the lake about 16 feet below the 1,396 foot summer pool so the reservoir can absorb winter and spring storm runoff before it reaches the Russell Fork and the Big Sandy valley. A low lake from late fall through early spring is normal operation, not a sign of drought, and most ramps go out of service until it refills.
When does Flannagan Reservoir refill to summer pool?
Virginia DWR says the lake is typically returned to summer pool in April, after the wettest part of the year has passed and the flood storage is less likely to be needed. Exact timing depends on spring rainfall. The Lower Twin, Pound River, Cranesnest and Spillway ramps become usable again once the lake is back at summer pool.
Which Flannagan boat ramps work at winter pool?
According to Virginia DWR, only the Junction ramp, a fee ramp near the marina off Route 615, is open year round and usable at low water. The Lower Twin and Pound River ramps near their campgrounds, and the free Cranesnest and Spillway ramps, are listed as usable only at summer pool. Corps status pages also show several of those ramps closed seasonally.
When are the Russell Fork releases from Flannagan Dam?
The releases come during the fall drawdown, when the Corps lowers the lake to winter pool. Wikipedia and the Town of Haysi describe them as four October weekends, with Haysi putting flows at roughly 800 to 1,100 cubic feet per second. The Corps posts the exact dates on its whitewater release schedule. Below the dam the river starts at Class II and reaches Class V and harder in the Breaks gorge.
Did Flannagan Dam help in the April 1977 flood?
Yes, though the Russell Fork still flooded badly. Rain of more than eight inches in places fell April 2 to 5, 1977, and the Russell Fork at Haysi crested at 28.2 feet on April 4, its highest on record. The National Weather Service reports that the Corps credited storage in Flannagan, North Fork Pound and Fishtrap lakes with cutting peak stages, including about 1.2 feet at Elkhorn City and 13 feet at Pikeville.
What fish are in Flannagan Reservoir?
Virginia DWR lists largemouth and smallmouth bass, walleye and stocked saugeye, hybrid striped bass, channel and flathead catfish, black crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, rock bass, carp and a few muskellunge, with alewives and gizzard shad as forage. There are no trout. Walleye run up the Pound and Cranesnest arms in March and April. Flathead catfish reach 40 pounds, and the walleye minimum length is 18 inches.
Other lakes near John W. Flannagan Reservoir
- Kerr Lake (Buggs Island Lake)VA/NC
- Lake GastonVA/NC
- Philpott LakeVA
- Claytor LakeVA
- Smith Mountain LakeVA
- South Holston LakeTN/VA
See current levels for all 7 Virginia lakes and reservoirs →
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