Carters Lake (Blue Ridge Mountains)

Carters Lake, is a reservoir located on the Coosawattee River in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Gilmer and Murray counties in Georgia, United States, and is the state's deepest lake.

Carters Lake
Carters Lake
Carters Lake
LocationBlue Ridge Mountains
Gilmer & Murray counties, Georgia
United States
Coordinates34.6072°N 84.6332°W / 34.6072; -84.6332
Typenatural lake, reservoir
Primary inflowsCoosawattee River
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area3,200 acres (13 km2)
Average depth200 ft (61 m)
Max. depth450 ft (140 m)
Shore length162 mi (100 km)
Surface elevation1,074 ft (327 m) [1]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Description

While the reservoir is on the Coosawattee River, it empties directly into the Regulation Reservoir (another reservoir on the river). The reservoir was named after Farrish Carter who lived in the 19th century. It has a surface area of 3,200 acres (13 km2) and has 62 miles (100 km) of shoreline. Carters Lake has an average depth of 200 feet (61 m) and a maximum depth of 450 feet (140 m).[2]

Fall Colors at Carters Lake

Carters Lake, owned by the US Army Corps of Engineers, is a man-made lake without private docks or houses along its shore.[2] This lake is fed by the Coosawattee River that runs between Ellijay and Chatsworth, and was formed by Carters Dam, the tallest earthen dam east of the Mississippi, which was completed in 1977. Since then, it has been used to act as a watershed to control annual flooding and generate power.[3] Carters Lake is also used for various forms of outdoor recreation such as fishing, water skiing, hiking, camping, and mountain biking.[3]

The lake served as inspiration for the wild river that was tamed by a dam in the novel and film Deliverance by James Dickey.[4]

See also
  • List of dams and reservoirs in Georgia (U.S. state)

References
  1. https://www.weather.gov/ffc/rrm
  2. "Mobile District > Missions > Civil Works > Recreation > Carters Lake". www.sam.usace.army.mil. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  3. "Carters Lake - GeorgiaTrails.com". georgiatrails.com. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  4. Roper, Daniel M. "The Story of the Coosawattee River Gorge". North Georgia Journal (Summer 1995). Archived from the original on 2010-12-22.

Media related to Carters Lake (Blue Ridge Mountains) at Wikimedia Commons

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