Glossary
Flood stage
Flood stage is a published threshold where water begins to impact life or property at a specific gauge location—common on rivers and some reservoir tailwaters. It is not the same as a dam's flood pool storage band above recreation full on an impoundment.
Published May 16, 2026 · Editorial standards
Related lake intelligence
Smithville Lake
/lakes/smithville-mo
Check Smithville Lake for how pool storage and downstream gauges relate—flood-stage on a river gauge is not the same as flood pool on the reservoir. Published levels use MSL unless the lake page notes otherwise.
Related lake intelligence
Lake Norman
/lakes/norman
Check Lake Norman for how pool storage and downstream gauges relate—flood-stage on a river gauge is not the same as flood pool on the reservoir. Published levels use Datum unless the lake page notes otherwise.
Related lake intelligence
Lake Chatuge
Reference information only. See data sources, editorial standards, or suggest a correction.




