Updated Aug 2026
Georgia Lake Water Quality
Water quality grades for 56 monitored lakes across 35 counties.
Across Georgia, 56 lakes carry an active water-quality grade spread over 35 counties. The underlying measurements come from the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, alongside federal programs and volunteer monitoring networks. A-grade lakes are scarce in Georgia: about 7% of the dataset. Most lakes here sit in C or D — productive, often shallow, frequently algal in late summer.
The state's lakes lean eutrophic: enough nutrient input to support an active algal community, with the trade-offs in clarity and dissolved oxygen that come with it. Dougherty ranks highest on average county grade (A). Cherokee sits lowest. With only 35 counties in the state, the cross-county spread is narrower than the within-county spread for most lakes.
Grade Distribution
All 56 Georgia lakes in the index: 50 (89.3%) carry an A–F grade and 6 (10.7%) are not rated, because they lack enough recent nutrient or algae sampling to support a letter.
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Top-Graded Georgia Lakes
The highest water-quality grades in Georgia — clarity, depth, and A-F grade at a glance.
Lake Map
Explore Georgia Lakes
Georgia reports, fishing & travel
Reservoirs in Georgia
View all 29 reservoirs →29 of 56 Georgia lakes (52%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 27 carry a High or Significant hazard rating. The oldest matched dam dates to 1903.
EPA-Impaired Lakes in Georgia
View all 20 impaired lakes →20 of 56 Georgia lakes (36%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 18 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.
Georgia Fishing & Recreation
Licenses, regulations, records, and where to fish across Georgia.
Counties
All 35 Georgia counties, ranked by average lake water quality. Compare them against every county nationwide in the county rankings, browse the full directory of graded lakes, or pick a different state.
Top 25 Cleanest Lakes
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALake Worth | Dougherty | A | 3.7 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 2 | AFlint River Reservoir | Dougherty | A | 4.3 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 3 | AHarl Lake | Harris | A | 6.1 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 4 | AHarl Lake | Harris | A | 6.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 5 | BLake Blackshear | Sumter | B | 2.9 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 6 | BLake Blackshear | Crisp | B | 3.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 7 | BLake Seminole | Seminole | B | 4.4 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 8 | BGeoh Lake | Stewart | B | 3.7 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 9 | BBanks Lake | Lanier | B | 3.2 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 10 | CWesc Lake | Troup | C | 6 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 11 | CLake Oconee | Greene | C | 5.6 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 12 | CLake Blue Ridge | Fannin | C | 9.5 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 13 | CLake Tobesofkee | Bibb | C | 4.7 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 14 | CLake Allatoona Upstream From Dam | Bartow | C | 7.5 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 15 | CLake Walter F George | Clay | C | 5.6 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 16 | CLake Sidney Lanier | Forsyth | C | 9.2 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 17 | CLake Sidney Lanier | Hall | C | 6.6 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 18 | CGoat Rock Lake | Harris | C | 5.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 19 | CGeoh Lake | Clay | C | 6.2 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 20 | CGeoh Lake | Barbour | C | 4.5 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 21 | CWest Point Lake | Troup | C | 7.2 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 22 | CLake Oliver | Muscogee | C | 6.1 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 23 | CLake Juliette | Monroe | C | 8.5 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 24 | CLake Sinclair | Baldwin | C | 4.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 25 | CCarters Lake | Gilmer | C | 8.1 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
25 Lakes Needing Attention
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DLake Allatoona | Cherokee | D | 4.5 ft |
| 2 | DLake Oconee | Greene | D | 3.2 ft |
| 3 | DLake Allatoona | Cherokee | D | 3.8 ft |
| 4 | DHigh Falls Lake | Monroe | D | 3.3 ft |
| 5 | DWest Point Lake | Troup | D | 4.6 ft |
| 6 | DLake Jackson | Jasper | D | 4.6 ft |
| 7 | CLake Oliver (Aka Chatt River | Muscogee | C | No recent samples |
| 8 | CChattahoochee River Lake | Troup | C | No recent samples |
| 9 | CLake Richard B. Russell | Elbert | C | 6.6 ft |
| 10 | CLake Hartwell | Hart | C | 13.5 ft |
| 11 | CClarks Hill Lake | Lincoln | C | 6.1 ft |
| 12 | CClarks Hill Lake | Lincoln | C | 6.7 ft |
| 13 | CClarks Hill Lake | Columbia | C | 7.9 ft |
| 14 | CLake Rabun | Rabun | C | 10.9 ft |
| 15 | CLake Burton | Rabun | C | 12.5 ft |
| 16 | CLake Allatoona | Bartow | C | 5.6 ft |
| 17 | CLake Walter F. George | Quitman | C | 4.1 ft |
| 18 | CLake Sidney Lanier | Hall | C | 7.5 ft |
| 19 | CLake Nottely | Union | C | 6.7 ft |
| 20 | CLake Lanier Upstream From Flowery Branch Confluence | Hall | C | 13 ft |
| 21 | CLake Sidney Lanier | Forsyth | C | 7.7 ft |
| 22 | CLake Sidney Lanier | Forsyth | C | 9.2 ft |
| 23 | CLake Nottely | Union | C | 8.9 ft |
| 24 | CLake Sidney Lanier Upstream of Buford Dam Forebay | Gwinnett | C | 13.3 ft |
| 25 | CLake Harding | Harris | C | 6 ft |
Lake Match
Which lake suits how you actually use one?
Six questions — swimming, fishing, quiet, cabins, drive time — and a shortlist of graded lakes that fit, with the water quality behind each one.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys and the EPA Water Quality Portal.
More on lake water quality
The top-graded lake in every state we cover, picked grade-first with water clarity as the tie-breaker — plus the states whose winner is still not clean.
State-by-state Secchi champions: the clearest measured lake in each U.S. state we grade, which is not the same as the cleanest nutrient grade.
A data snapshot of the lakes we grade: how the A–F distribution breaks down, the clearest and the greenest states, and where the water is improving.
How lakes are graded A–F on nutrients and algae using EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each letter means in the water, and why an A is not a clearance.