Carters Lake
Gilmer County, Georgia3,275 acresView mapDirections
Georgia EPD publishes the water-quality measurements for Carters Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 83 ft max depth
- Public access
Carters Lake in Gilmer County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.4 µg/L. Surface area: 3275 acres.
Carters Lake is a 3,275-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Gilmer County, Georgia with an estimated average depth of about 83 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 6 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Georgia EPD, last sampled 2025-10-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Carters Lake covers about 3,300 acres in Gilmer County. It has 6 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Carters Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Carters Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch6 documented ramps
- Camping6 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water3,275 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Carters Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Carters Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Carters Lake
These are the measurements Georgia EPD publishes for Carters Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.1 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.4 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.4µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Carters Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~83 ft est.
Surface area
3,275 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Georgia EPD
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Georgia has not published bathymetry for Carters Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
377 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
30.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,102 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Dam SitePublic
- Doll Mountain Camping AreaPublic
- Doll Mountain Day Use AreaPublic
- RidgewayPublic
- Woodring Branch Camping AreaPublic
- Woodring Branch Day Use AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Carters Lake
- Doll Mountain Campground0.5 kmReserve
- Woodring Day Use Area Shelter1.0 kmReserve
- Woodring Campground (GA)1.2 kmReserve
- Woodring Branch Primitive Campground1.4 kmReserve
- Doll Mountain Day Use Area Shelter1.6 kmReserve
- Damsite Day Use Area Shelter2.6 kmReserve
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Carters Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Carters Lake in Gilmer County, Georgia — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Carters Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Carters Lake → · more Georgia lake trips
Follow Carters Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Carters Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 14 years of monitoring (2012–2025).
Water clarity
Stable14 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.54 µg/L/yr14 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Carters Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Carters Main Dam (completed 1974), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Coosawattee River; rockfill-type dam, 464 ft tall and 1,950 ft long.
- Surface area
- 3,275 ac
- Normal storage
- 383,565 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 472,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 373 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Mobile District
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation;Flood Risk Reduction.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID GA00821 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Carters Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit GAR031501020406 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Gilmer County
Frequently asked questions about Carters Lake
Where is Carters Lake?
- Carters Lake is a lake in Gilmer County, Georgia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Georgia EPD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Carters Lake?
- Carters Lake in Gilmer County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.4 µg/L. Surface area: 3275 acres.
Is Carters Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Carters Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Carters Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Carters Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 83 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 3275 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Carters Lake?
- Carters Lake has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Dam Site, Doll Mountain Camping Area, Doll Mountain Day Use Area, Ridgeway, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Carters Lake?
- Carters Lake has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Georgia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Carters Lake?
- Carters Lake has 6 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Doll Mountain Campground, Woodring Day Use Area Shelter, Woodring Campground (GA), Woodring Branch Primitive Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Carters Lake across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 23.8 mi, nearest Amicalola Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Georgia's top lakes, each with its readings
Georgia's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Georgia
Other Lakes in Georgia
Eutrophic Lakes in Georgia
Where this data comes from
518 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2012–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division
21GAEPD_WQX518 samples · 2012–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles