Lake Burton
Rabun County, Georgia2,775 acresView mapDirections
Georgia EPD publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Burton. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 87 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Burton in Rabun County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.4 µg/L. Surface area: 2775 acres.
Lake Burton is a 2,775-acre mesotrophic lake in Rabun County, Georgia with an estimated average depth of about 87 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Rabun County, Lake Burton ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Georgia EPD, last sampled 2025-08-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Burton covers about 2,800 acres in Rabun County. It has 4 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Burton on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Burton is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Big water2,775 acres
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 Lake Burton 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 Lake Burton
These are the measurements Georgia EPD publishes for Lake Burton, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.4 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | 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) | 3.4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Burton
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~87 ft est.
Surface area
2,775 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 Lake Burton.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
118 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
32.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,880 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
- Moccasin CreekPublic
- Moccasin CreekPublic
- Murray CovePublic
- Tallulah RiverPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Burton
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Burton in Rabun 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 Lake Burton
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 Lake Burton → · more Georgia lake trips
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Fishing Lake Burton
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Burton is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Burton (completed 1927), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Tallulah River; gravity-type dam, 129 ft tall and 1,043 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,775 ac
- Normal storage
- 108,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 108,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 118 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Georgia Power Company
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Fire Protection, Stock, Or Small Fish Pond;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID GA00864 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Rabun County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Burton
Where is Lake Burton?
- Lake Burton is a lake in Rabun County, Georgia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Georgia EPD and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Burton?
- Lake Burton in Rabun County, Georgia has water-quality measurements published by Georgia EPD, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.4 µg/L. Surface area: 2775 acres.
Is Lake Burton safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Burton?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Burton, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 87 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 2775 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Burton?
- Lake Burton has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Moccasin Creek, Moccasin Creek, Murray Cove, Tallulah River. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Burton?
- Lake Burton has 4 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.
Explore Lake Burton across LakeQuality
4 documented falls within 10.3 mi, nearest Minnehaha Falls
15.1 mi away · cable-pulled, no boat wake
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
Mesotrophic Lakes in Georgia
Where this data comes from
413 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2013–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Georgia DNR Environmental Protection Division
21GAEPD_WQX413 samples · 2013–2025
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory