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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)
Buck2003.402003.011960.211208
Byllesby2079.202078.752022.681411
Claytor1846.001845.721730.511527
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Oct 22 2026, 3:49 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)
London614.00614.26591.404572
Marmet590.00589.85567.636412
Winfield566.00566.68539.320
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Oct 22 2026, 3:49 PM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Roanoke River

ProjectNormal Full PondForebay Actual (Feet)Tail Water (Feet)Tail Water (CFS)
Niagara885.00884.79821.60211.00
Smith Mountain795.00791.03600.75N/A
Leesville613.00.00600.76531.84408
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Oct 22 2026, 3:49 PM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Saint Joseph River

ProjectNormal Full PondForebay Actual (Feet)Tail Water (Feet)Tail Water (CFS)
Constantine782.90782.89771.35–
MottvilleSummer: 770.40
Winter: 770.00
770.45758.641116
Elkhart741.50
winter: 739.50
741.53723.16–
Twin Branch717.10716.96696.262298
BuchananSummer: 637.50
Winter: 637.00
637.49624.602096
Berrien Springs623.50623.56598.622770
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Oct 22 2026, 3:49 PM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Plant–Specific Notices

As of 05:00 this morning, Monday October 19, 2026, inflow to the Smith Mountain Project (which includes both Smith Mountain Lake and Leesville Lake) was 470 CFS and the discharge from Leesville was 409 CFS. The adjusted reservoir elevations was 791.2 ft. The flow rate at the USGS Gauge at Brookneal was 587 CFS, Stage 3.98 ft. and at Altavista 442 CFS, Stage 1.61 ft.