Reservoirs in Georgia
24 of 693 graded Georgia lakes (3%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 22 carry a High or Significant hazard rating.
Reading the Georgia reservoir landscape
Georgia has 24 reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams — a limited count by national standards, reflecting the state's mix of natural lake topography and limited need (or political space) for major federal impoundments. Where reservoirs do exist, they tend to be either flood-control structures on smaller tributaries or municipal water-supply lakes — both with distinct access and recreation profiles.
Hydroelectric power leads Georgia's reservoir purposes — dams that generate electricity by routing water through turbines. Hydro reservoirs experience pronounced daily and seasonal water-level swings tied to power-demand cycles; fishing patterns adapt to the timing of releases (downstream tailwaters often hold the best year-round trout fishing), and shoreline access can change quickly with the pool level.
The USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID) catalogs every dam in the United States above a size threshold — typically 25 feet in height or 50 acre-feet in maximum storage, plus all dams classified as high-hazard regardless of size. The reservoir records below pull NID fields (year built, hazard class, maximum storage, surface area at normal pool, dam length, primary purpose) and pair them with water-quality data where the impoundment also appears in EPA's lake-monitoring inventory.
Why these Georgia reservoirs were built
All 24 Georgia reservoirs (by surface area)
| Reservoir | County | Grade | Surface area | Year built | Purpose | Hazard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Hartwell | Hart | C | 55,950 ac | 1962 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Richard B. Russell | Elbert | C | 26,653 ac | 1986 | Hydroelectric | High |
| West Point Lake | Troup | C | 25,864 ac | 1974 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Sinclair | Baldwin | C | 15,330 ac | 1953 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Blackshear | Crisp | B | 8,700 ac | 1930 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Harding | Harris | C | 5,850 ac | 1926 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Harl Lake | Harris | A | 5,850 ac | 1926 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Jackson | Jasper | D | 4,500 ac | 1911 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Nottely | Union | C | 3,970 ac | 1942 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Lake Juliette | Monroe | C | 3,600 ac | 1980 | Recreation | High |
| Carters Lake | Gilmer | C | 3,275 ac | 1974 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Blue Ridge | Fannin | C | 3,220 ac | 1930 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Burton | Rabun | C | 2,775 ac | 1927 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Oliver | Muscogee | C | 2,280 ac | 1959 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Lake Tobesofkee | Bibb | C | 1,756 ac | 1965 | Flood Risk Reduction | High |
| Lake Worth | Dougherty | A | 1,400 ac | 1906 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Flint River Reservoir | Dougherty | A | 1,400 ac | 1921 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Goat Rock Lake | Harris | C | 960 ac | 1912 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Bull Sluice Lake | Fulton | NR | 750 ac | 1903 | Hydroelectric | High |
| Banks Lake | Lanier | B | 700 ac | 1930 | Recreation | Low |
| High Falls Lake | Monroe | D | 573 ac | 1904 | Recreation | High |
| Culps Lake | Polk | NR | 26.6 ac | 1951 | Recreation | Low |
| Wooten Lake | Cobb | NR | 13 ac | 1941 | Recreation | High |
| Randy Poynter Lake | Rockdale | NR | — | — | Water Supply | High |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many reservoirs are in Georgia?
24 of 693 graded Georgia lakes (3%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 22 are rated High or Significant hazard, meaning failure would put downstream lives or property at substantial risk. The oldest matched dam dates to 1903.
What's the largest reservoir in Georgia?
The largest matched reservoir in Georgia is Lake Hartwell in Hart County at 55,950 acres of normal surface area, impounded by the Hartwell Dam (completed 1962).
What's the difference between a reservoir and a natural lake?
A reservoir is a body of water impounded by a man-made dam — typically built for flood control, hydroelectric power, water supply, irrigation, or recreation. A natural lake formed without human intervention, usually from glacial scouring, volcanic activity, or river meandering. Reservoirs typically have shoreline that fluctuates with seasonal water level management, while natural lakes have more stable shorelines. The USACE National Inventory of Dams classifies every regulated dam in the United States, which is how we identify which LakeQuality lakes are actually reservoirs.
What does the hazard class mean?
USACE assigns each dam a hazard potential classification based on what would happen downstream if the dam failed — NOT how likely the dam is to fail. "Low" hazard means dam failure would cause no probable loss of life and only low economic loss. "Significant" means probable loss of life is unlikely but appreciable economic damage would occur. "High" means probable loss of life and significant economic damage. The classification is about consequence, not condition. Many High-hazard dams are perfectly safe; they're rated High because populated areas have grown downstream over time.
Where does this reservoir data come from?
Every reservoir record on this page is matched to the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all dams ≥25 ft tall or impounding ≥50 acre-feet, plus any dam that poses a Significant or High hazard regardless of size. The NID is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and updated annually. Surface area, storage capacity, dam height, and hazard classification come directly from NID records.
Where to stay near Georgia reservoirs
Compare cabins, lodges, and vacation rentals near the largest reservoirs in Georgia — live availability and prices for boating, fishing, and lake trips.
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More on reservoirs and water quality
Dam-built reservoirs and natural lakes graded side by side on the same nutrient and algae measurements — the gap, the reasons behind it, and the exceptions.
Surveyed maximum depth against A–F nutrient-and-algae grades: the pattern, the shallow lakes that still grade an A, and why land use beats bathymetry.
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.
How phosphorus and nutrient runoff drive algae growth and turn lakes green, where the nutrients come from, and what it means for a lake's grade.
Data source
Reservoir data from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all regulated dams. Dam attributes (height, year completed, storage capacity, hazard class) are matched to LakeQuality lakes by proximity and dam-name similarity. Some lakes may be reservoirs that aren't matched if the dam record uses a name substantially different from our lake name.