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River Flows for Hydro Plants

You may track, on an hourly basis, water levels and flows of the recreational rivers and lakes near AEP's hydroelectric facilities. See a map of our plant locations.

Explanation of Terms

  • The "Forebay" and "Tail Water" values shown are the water surface elevation of the lake or river (in feet) immediately upstream and downstream, respectively, of the dam. The elevation datum is National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929.
  • "Tail Water Flow (CFS)" is the hourly average of the river flow just downstream of the dams, measured in cubic feet per second.

New River Flows & Forecasts

Water release information for AEP's Claytor, Buck, and Byllesby hydro dams is updated every fifteen minutes. Forecast information is estimated. Water travel times may be affected by water conditions, precipitation in the watershed and other factors.

Most Recent Conditions

ProjectNormal Full PondForebay Actual (Feet)Tail Water (Feet)Tail Water (CFS)
Buck2003.402002.891960.761707
Byllesby2079.202078.682023.161897
Claytor1846.001845.561731.242661
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Aug 9 2026, 2:06 PM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Downstream Forecasts

Forecast information shows water release information from the Claytor Dam, delayed to account for the average time it takes the released water to reach particular points downstream. Water travel times may be affected by water conditions, precipitation in the watershed and other factors.

Kanawha River

ProjectNormal Full PondForebay Actual (Feet)Tail Water (Feet)Tail Water (CFS)
London614.00614.01591.468793
Marmet590.00589.97567.528747
Winfield566.00566.21540.3011470
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Aug 9 2026, 2:06 PM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Roanoke River

ProjectNormal Full PondForebay Actual (Feet)Tail Water (Feet)Tail Water (CFS)
Niagara885.00884.88827.57193.00
Smith Mountain795.00790.35600.31N/A
Leesville613.00.00600.75535.59410
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Aug 9 2026, 2:06 PM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Saint Joseph River

ProjectNormal Full PondForebay Actual (Feet)Tail Water (Feet)Tail Water (CFS)
Constantine782.90782.83771.23
MottvilleSummer: 770.40
Winter: 770.00
770.45758.36794
Elkhart741.50
winter: 739.50
741.49723.16
Twin Branch717.10716.95696.301704
BuchananSummer: 637.50
Winter: 637.00
637.50624.351567
Berrien Springs623.50623.49598.612848
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Aug 9 2026, 2:06 PM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Plant–Specific Notices

As of 05:00 this morning, Sunday August 09, 2026, inflow to the Smith Mountain Project (which includes both Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville Lake) was 577 CFS and the discharge from Leesville was 410 CFS. The adjusted reservoir elevations was 790.5 ft. The flow rate at the USGS Gauge at Brookneal was 510 CFS, Stage 3.84 ft. and at Altavista 489 CFS, Stage 1.67 ft.