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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 "Tailwater" numbers show the feet above sea level of the water levels immediately upstream and downstream from our plants.
  • "Tailwater Flow" is the hourly average of the river flow just downstream of the plants, 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)
Buck2003.402002.971959.15566
Byllesby2079.202077.042020.87523
Claytor1846.001845.571730.40765
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Oct 15 2025, 11:25 AM 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)
London614.00614.06590.751412
Marmet590.00590.09566.182091
Winfield566.00566.44538.590
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Oct 15 2025, 11:25 AM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Roanoke River

ProjectNormal Full PondForebay Actual (Feet)Tail Water (Feet)Tail Water (CFS)
Niagara885.00885.30
Smith Mountain795.00792.14607.50
Leesville613.00.00608.70532.73498
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Oct 15 2025, 11:25 AM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Saint Joseph River

ProjectNormal Full PondForebay Actual (Feet)Tail Water (Feet)Tail Water (CFS)
Constantine782.90782.92771.03
MottvilleSummer: 770.40
Winter: 770.00
770.44757.76577
Elkhart741.50
winter: 739.50
741.60721.43
Twin Branch717.10716.98695.88813
BuchananSummer: 637.50
Winter: 637.00
637.47624.111064
Berrien Springs623.50623.48598.232044
See plant-specific notices below. Data last updated on Oct 15 2025, 11:25 AM EST. Tail water (cfs) is last hour average.

Plant–Specific Notices

As of 05:00 this morning, Wednesday October 15, 2025, inflow to the Smith Mountain Project was 371 CFS and the discharge from Leesville was 496 CFS. The adjusted reservoir elevations was 793.4 ft. The flow rate at the USGS Gauge at Brookneal was 634 CFS, Stage 4.14 ft. and at Altavista 585 CFS, Stage 1.79 ft.

October 9, 2025 - Appalachian Power will be lowering the Byllesby reservoir elevation on the New River to approximately 2070 feet. The drawdown is scheduled to start on Friday, October 10. The Byllesby reservoir is expected to reach the drawdown elevation by 11:00 Monday, October 13. Drawdown of the reservoir is necessary to remove debris from the spillway. The work is expected to be completed in one day. Upon completion of the work, the reservoir will be restored to the normal operating elevation based upon river inflow.