Clarks Hill Lake
Lincoln County, GeorgiaView mapDirections
Georgia EPD publishes the water-quality measurements for Clarks Hill Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 56 ft max depth
- Public access
Clarks Hill Lake in Lincoln County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11 µg/L.
Clarks Hill Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Lincoln County, Georgia with an estimated average depth of about 56 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 22 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Lincoln County, Clarks Hill Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Georgia EPD, last sampled 2025-10-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Clarks Hill Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch22 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Clarks Hill 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 Clarks Hill Lake
These are the measurements Georgia EPD publishes for Clarks Hill Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.1 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 11 µg/L. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.1ft | 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) | 11µg/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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Clarks Hill Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~56 ft est.
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 Clarks Hill Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4,613 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
13,628 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
139.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
338 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
- Chamberlain Ferry RampPublic
- Elijah Clark State Park (Campground 1)Public
- Elijah Clark State Park (Campground 2)Public
- Elijah Clark State Park CabinsPublic
- Elijah Clark State Park Day UsePublic
- Murry Creek CampgroundPublic
Showing 6 of 22 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Clarks Hill Lake
- Elijah Clark State Park0.6 km
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 Clarks Hill Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Clarks Hill Lake in Lincoln 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 Clarks Hill Lake
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Fishing Clarks Hill Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 13 years of monitoring (2013–2025).
Water clarity
Stable12 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.3 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.63 µg/L/yr13 years
Nearby Lakes in Lincoln County
Frequently asked questions about Clarks Hill Lake
Where is Clarks Hill Lake?
- Clarks Hill Lake is a lake in Lincoln County, Georgia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Georgia EPD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Clarks Hill Lake?
- Clarks Hill Lake in Lincoln County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11 µg/L.
Is Clarks Hill Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Clarks Hill Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Clarks Hill Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 56 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Clarks Hill Lake?
- Clarks Hill Lake has 22 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chamberlain Ferry Ramp, Elijah Clark State Park (Campground 1), Elijah Clark State Park (Campground 2), Elijah Clark State Park Cabins, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Clarks Hill Lake?
- Clarks Hill Lake has 22 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 Clarks Hill Lake?
- Clarks Hill Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Elijah Clark State Park. 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 Clarks Hill Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
226 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division
21GAEPD_WQX226 samples · 2013–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
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