Watauga River level at Elizabethton
Tennessee · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 03486000 — WATAUGA RIVER AT ELIZABETHTON, TN
Reading taken · as of 1 hour ago
Below normal — good wading, low and clear
At 358 CFS, this gauge is running 75% of normal for mid-September — below the 475 CFS median USGS has recorded for this date across 9 years of record (2017–2026).
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Flow history at Elizabethton
Daily values from USGS 03486000, updated every 15 to 60 minutes. Provisional.
About Watauga River at Elizabethton
In Tennessee, below Watauga Lake. Releases can change the flow by hundreds of CFS in an hour with no rain in the basin — check it the morning you go, not the night before. Wilbur Dam tailwater trout and summer tubing.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Watauga Lake. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Watauga River at Elizabethton — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Watauga Lake affect this stretch?
Directly and fast. When the dam generates, flow here can climb by an order of magnitude within the hour, with no rain anywhere in the basin. That sudden release is the real hazard on a tailwater. The pool level is on lakelvl.com, linked below.
Is Watauga River at Elizabethton high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for mid-September here is 475 CFS, from 9 years of record (2017–2026). Today is 75% of it. The comparison is what makes the raw number mean anything: the same reading is a drought on one river and a flood on another.
How often does this reading update?
USGS transmits from gauge 03486000 every 15 to 60 minutes. This page refreshes from USGS when you open it, and the reading is provisional until USGS reviews it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.