Melton Hill Lake Water Level
Tennessee · Clinch River
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Water level history
About Melton Hill Lake
Melton Hill Lake is a reservoir on the Clinch River in Tennessee, operated by Tennessee Valley Authority. It's a popular flatwater rowing course near Oak Ridge. Its full summer pool sits at 795 ft above sea level. Live water levels come from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and update hourly.
Understanding Melton Hill Lake's water level
Melton Hill is the odd one out in the Tennessee Valley Authority system. It sits on the Clinch River, a tributary, but it is not operated like a tributary storage reservoir. There is no annual fill-and-drawdown cycle here. TVA passes water through rather than storing it, and the lake typically moves less than two feet in a day, between about 793 and 795 feet, with a normal winter elevation of 794. The only planned lowering is a short maintenance drawdown in late March, usually into the 790 to 792 range for a week to ten days, so shoreline owners can work on docks and stabilize banks, with the lake back to normal by early April.
That stability is the reason the lake has a national reputation among rowers. The Oak Ridge Rowing Association runs a 2,000-metre sprint course on Melton Lake with a start tower, alignment platform, six launch docks and trailer parking for sixty teams, and a racing lane added in 2017. TVA itself calls it a nationally recognized rowing course. The Southeastern Conference held its first rowing championship here in 2025 and returned in 2026, drawing crowds who can watch the full race distance from the shoreline greenway.
The dam has two other distinctions. Built between 1960 and 1963, it is the only dam in TVA's tributary system with a navigation lock, a 75-by-400-foot chamber with a 60-foot lift operated by the Corps of Engineers Nashville District, which carries barge traffic roughly 38 miles up the Clinch to Clinton. That lock existed to move oversized government equipment for Oak Ridge, and the northwestern shoreline is still Department of Energy property. The water arrives cold from Norris Dam releases 57 miles upstream, which keeps oxygen high and warm-water growth slow, and has left the lake with striped bass that were never deliberately stocked.
Melton Hill Lake — frequently asked
Does Melton Hill Lake have a winter drawdown?
Not in the usual sense. Melton Hill is operated as a run-of-river reservoir, so it does not follow the annual fill-and-drawdown cycle that TVA tributary storage lakes do. Its normal winter elevation is 794 feet, close to summer levels. The only scheduled lowering is a short maintenance drawdown in late March, typically to between 790 and 792 feet for about a week.
How much does Melton Hill Lake fluctuate?
TVA describes the level as typically fluctuating less than two feet daily, between elevations 793 and 795. Water is passed through the reservoir rather than stored long term, so the pool stays in that narrow band year-round. Day-to-day movement mostly reflects Norris Dam releases upstream and generation at Melton Hill itself.
Why is Melton Hill used for rowing?
Because the run-of-river operation keeps the water flat and the pool level nearly constant across the reservoir's 57-mile length. The Oak Ridge Rowing Association maintains a 2,000-metre course with a start tower, alignment platform, six launch and recovery docks and parking for sixty team trailers. The SEC held its inaugural rowing championship here in 2025 and came back in 2026.
Does Melton Hill Dam have a lock?
Yes, and it is the only one in TVA's tributary reservoir system. The chamber is 75 by 400 feet with a maximum lift of 60 feet, sits at Clinch River mile 23.1 in Lenoir City, and is operated and maintained by the Corps of Engineers Nashville District. It extends barge navigation about 38 miles up the Clinch River to Clinton.
Why is the water in Melton Hill so cold?
The reservoir is fed by cold water released from Norris Dam, 57 miles upstream. That keeps dissolved oxygen high but makes the lake a relatively low-productivity cool-water system, which slows the growth of warm-water species. It is also why striped bass, which were never intentionally stocked here, moved down from Norris and thrived.
What fish are in Melton Hill Lake?
Striped bass are the headline, and the lake once produced a state record over 63 pounds. Musky have been stocked since 1998 with a 50-inch minimum, and are found around blow-downs in the coves. Largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass, crappie and sauger are all present. State health officials advise against eating catfish from Melton Hill because of PCBs.
Other lakes near Melton Hill Lake
- Nickajack LakeTN
- Kentucky LakeKY/TN
- Normandy LakeTN
- J. Percy Priest LakeTN
- Norris LakeTN
- Great Falls LakeTN
See current levels for all 23 Tennessee lakes and reservoirs →
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