High Falls Lake
Monroe County, Georgia573 acresView mapDirections
Georgia EPD publishes the water-quality measurements for High Falls Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- 28 ft max depth
- Public access
High Falls Lake in Monroe County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 23 µg/L. Surface area: 573 acres.
High Falls Lake is a 573-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Monroe County, Georgia with an estimated average depth of about 28 feet. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Monroe County, High Falls Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Georgia EPD, last sampled 2025-10-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
High Falls Lake covers about 570 acres in Monroe County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around High Falls Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What High Falls Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. High Falls Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether High Falls 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 High Falls Lake
These are the measurements Georgia EPD publishes for High Falls Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 23 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 40µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 23µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about High Falls Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~28 ft est.
Surface area
573 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 High Falls Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
208 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
9.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
600 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
- High Falls State Park Lake (Buck Creek)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near High Falls Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near High Falls Lake in Monroe 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around High Falls Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near High Falls 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 High Falls Lake → · more Georgia lake trips
Follow High Falls Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing High Falls Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 14 years of monitoring (2012–2025).
Water clarity
Stable14 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.86 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.03 µg/L/yr14 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
High Falls Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the High Falls Lake Dam (completed 1904), built primarily for recreation on the Towaliga River; stone-type dam, 35 ft tall and 606 ft long.
- Surface area
- 573 ac
- Normal storage
- 8,600 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 12,470 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 131,840 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID GA02060 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
High Falls Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit GAR030701031118 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Monroe County
Frequently asked questions about High Falls Lake
Where is High Falls Lake?
- High Falls Lake is a lake in Monroe County, Georgia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Georgia EPD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of High Falls Lake?
- High Falls Lake in Monroe County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 23 µg/L. Surface area: 573 acres.
Is High Falls Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. High Falls Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is High Falls Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers High Falls Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 28 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 573 acres.
Are there boat ramps on High Falls Lake?
- High Falls Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include High Falls State Park Lake (Buck Creek). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at High Falls Lake?
- High Falls Lake has 1 documented boat landing 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.
Explore High Falls Lake across LakeQuality
2 thermal springs within 22.7 mi, nearest Taylor Spring
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
525 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_WQX525 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