Chattahoochee River level at Buford Dam
Georgia · Fishing & wading
Measured at USGS 02334430 — CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER AT BUFORD DAM, NEAR BUFORD, GA · NWS forecast point BUFG1
Reading taken · as of 28 min ago
Low and clear — wadeable, and fish will be spooky
At 606 CFS, this gauge is in the lowest 10% of the 70 years USGS has recorded for this date (1956–2026), at 44% of the 1,390 CFS median.
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Flood stages at Buford Dam
National Weather Service categories for gauge BUFG1, WFO FFC. Impact wording is the NWS's own, verbatim.
-
Minor flood 12.0 ft
- 12.0 ft Flood stage is reached. Minor flooding begins on the river just downstream from Buford Dam. This will primarily affect the woodlands in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. Portions of Little Mill Road leading to a park near the dam will begin to flood.
-
Action 8.0 ft
- 8.0 ft Bankfull conditions occur on the river just downstream from Buford Dam.
- 10.0 ft Bankfull conditions continue on the river just downstream from Buford Dam. Some low lying areas near the banks will begin to flood in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.
- Right now -0.57 ft
Flow history at Buford Dam
Daily values from USGS 02334430, updated every 15 to 60 minutes; NWS forecast for BUFG1 reissued through the day. Provisional.
Highest crests on record at Buford Dam
5 on record
| Stage | Flow | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 7.88 ft | 9,670 CFS | Oct 22, 1971 |
| 7.76 ft | 9,620 CFS | Oct 10, 1972 |
| 7.41 ft | 11,000 CFS | Nov 2, 1978 |
| 7.30 ft | 9,970 CFS | Jun 29, 1976 |
| 7.30 ft | 9,970 CFS | Sep 4, 1975 |
Crests published by the National Weather Service.
About Chattahoochee River at Buford Dam
In Georgia, below Lake Lanier. 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. Southeast's most-fished tailwater; generation horn. Below Lake Lanier.
Reservoir feeding this stretch
Flow here is set by releases from Lake Lanier. A full pool usually means more water on its way down.
Chattahoochee River at Buford Dam — common questions
3 questions
How do releases from Lake Lanier 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 Chattahoochee River at Buford Dam high or low for this time of year?
The USGS median flow for late September here is 1,390 CFS, from 70 years of record (1956–2026). Today sits in the lowest 10% of those years, at 44% of the median. 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 02334430 every 15 to 60 minutes, and the National Weather Service reissues the flood forecast for BUFG1 a few times a day — more often when the river is rising. This page refreshes from both when you open it. The timestamp is in the gauge's local time.