Lake Burton (Georgia)

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Lake Burton is a 2,775 acre (11.23 km²) man made lake with 62 miles (100 km) of shoreline located in the northeastern corner of Georgia in Rabun County. It is the first lake in a five-lake series that follows the original course of the Tallulah River. The series of lakes starts with Lake Burton as the northernmost lake followed by Lake Seed, Lake Rabun, Lake Tallulah Falls and the eastern arm of Lake Tugalo (the western arm is formed by the [[Chattooga River]. The lakes are owned and operated by the Georgia Power Company to generate hydroelectric energy for Georgia's largest city, Atlanta. At one time these lakes were the largest producers of electricity in the state of Georgia. Now, they only provide peak power supply.

The lake was built in a deep valley located along a 10 mile section of the Tallulah River. The Lake Burton Dam was closed on December 22, 1919 and the lake started to fill. The dam is a gravity concrete dam, with a height of 128 feet and a span of 1,100 feet. The spillway is equipped with eight gates 22 feet wide by 6.6 feet high. The total capacity at an elevation of 1,866.6 feet is 108,000 acre-ft, of which 106,000 acre-ft is usable storage. The generating capcity of the dam is 6,120 kilowatts (two units). Lake Burton is the highest Georgia Power lake in Georgia.

Lake Burton gets its named from the town of Burton, which was the second largest town in Rabun County with a population of approximately 200 but now lies below the lake's surface. The town (and the lake) was named after local prominent citizen Jeremiah Burton and was situated along the road from Clayton, Georgia to the Nacoochee Valley. Andrew Jackson Ritchie served as the postmaster for the area for several years. Gold was first discovered in Rabun County where Dicks Creek and the Tallulah River come together and was the reason for the town's founding in the early 1800s.

The Lake Burton Fish Hatchery and Moccasin Creek State Park are located on the western side of the lake.

[edit] External links

• Georgia Power Website for Lake Burton
• Lake Burton Information
• Topozone Map of Lake Burton
• Georgia Power lake levels

Lake Burton also provides a number of fish, such as Spotted Bass, Largemouth Bass, White Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Redear Sunfish, White Catfish, Walleye, Brown Trout, Rainbw Trout, Yellow Perch, and there is Pike. I caught 4 all around 6 pounds except for one about 8 or 9. I caught them trolling a pink spoon and red and gold mepps.