Lake Burton (Georgia)
Encyclopedia
Lake Burton is a 2,775 acre (11.23 km²) reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
with 62 miles (100 km) of shoreline located in the northeastern corner of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in Rabun County. It is the first lake in a six-lake series called the Tallulah River Watershed that follows the original course of the Tallulah River
Tallulah River
The Tallulah River is a river in Georgia and North Carolina. It begins in Clay County, North Carolina, near Standing Indian Mountain in the Southern Nantahala Wilderness and flows south into Georgia, crossing the state line into Towns County. The river then travels through Rabun County and ends in...
. The chain begins with Lake Burton as the northernmost lake followed by Lake Seed
Lake Seed
Lake Seed is a 240 acre reservoir with 13 miles of shoreline located in Rabun County, in the northeastern corner of Georgia, USA. It is the second lake in a series of six lakes that follow the original riverbed of the Tallulah River. Each lake in the chain is created by hydroelectric dams...
, Lake Rabun
Lake Rabun
Lake Rabun is a twisty reservoir with of shoreline located in the Northeastern corner of Georgia in Rabun County. It is the third lake in a six-lake series that follows the original course of the Tallulah River. The series begins with Lake Burton as the northernmost lake, followed by Lake Seed,...
, Lake Tallulah Falls, Lake Tugalo
Lake Tugalo
Lake Tugalo is a reservoir with of shoreline located in the northeastern Georgia in Habersham and Rabun counties, but also lies partially in Oconee County, South Carolina. It is the fifth lake in a six-lake series created by hydroelectric dams operated by Georgia Power that follows the original...
, and Lake Yonah
Lake Yonah
Lake Yonah is a lake on the Tugaloo River, separating Georgia and South Carolina. The lake is created by the Yonah Dam, which is owned by Georgia Power. Lake Yonah is a residential lake with about seventy-two vacation and permanent homes...
. The lakes are owned and operated by the Georgia Power Company
Georgia Power
Georgia Power is an electric utility headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It is the largest of the four electric utilities that are owned and operated by Southern 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. At present the lakes provide power only during periods of peak electricity consumption.
History and description
The lake was built in a deep valley located along a 10 mile (16 km) 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 (39 m) and a span of 1100 feet (335.3 m). The spillway is equipped with eight gates 22 feet (6.7 m) wide by 6.6 feet (2 m) high. The total capacity at an elevation of 1866.6 feet (568.9 m) is 108000 acre.ft, of which 106000 acre.ft is usable storage. The generating capacity of the dam is 6,120 kilowatts (two units). Lake Burton is the highest Georgia Power lake in Georgia.Lake Burton's name was derived from the town of Burton
Burton, Georgia
The town of Burton, Georgia now lies underwater, covered by Lake Burton. The town was located at the confluence of Dicks Creek and the Tallulah River in Rabun County, Georgia and was established in the first half of the 19th century as a result of the Georgia Gold Rush...
, which was the second largest town in Rabun County with a population of approximately 200. The former town now lies below the lake's surface. The town (and the lake) was named after local prominent citizen Jeremiah Burton
Jeremiah Burton
Jeremiah Burton was a farmer. He was born about 1814 in South Carolina before moving to Rabun County, Georgia and first settled at Jones Ford on the Tallulah River. The town of Burton, Georgia was named after its Postmaster Jacob Silas Burton, Jeremiah's son...
and was situated along the road from Clayton, Georgia
Clayton, Georgia
Clayton is a city in Rabun County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,019 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Rabun County and is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains.-History:...
to the Nacoochee
Sautee Nacoochee, Georgia
Sautee Nacoochee is an unincorporated community in White County, Georgia, near Sautee Creek in the Appalachian foothills of northeast Georgia, approximately north of Atlanta...
Valley. Andrew Jackson Ritchie
Andrew Jackson Ritchie
Andrew Jackson Ritchie was the founder of Rabun Gap Industrial School, which later merged with Nacoochee Institute to become Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School. He served there as president until 1939....
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 19th century.
The Lake Burton Fish Hatchery
Lake Burton Fish Hatchery
Lake Burton Fish Hatchery is a fish hatchery operated by the Wildlife Resources Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources for the purpose of raising rainbow trout and brown trout being raised for stocking into mountain trout streams in North Georgia...
and Moccasin Creek State Park
Moccasin Creek State Park
Moccasin Creek State Park is a state park located on the western shore of Lake Burton in Rabun County in the northeast corner of Georgia. The park features campgrounds; a fishing pier for the physically disabled, the elderly, and children; and walking trails...
are located on the lake's west side. The lake is home to several species of fish, including spotted bass, largemouth bass, white bass, black crappie, bluegill, redear sunfish, white catfish, walleye, brown trout, rainbow trout, and yellow perch.
The residents of Lake Burton are a mix of permanent residents and seasonal vacationers who together make-up the Lake Burton Civic Association, a local organization who goal is to maintain the lake through volunteer clean-ups and other such events.
Events of interest
Fourth of July fireworks at Lake Burton have been an annual tradition for more than 25 years. The fireworks display was begun and continues to be run by a lifelong Lake Burton resident, Hal Rhoad. Though not a Lake Burton Civic Association sponsored event, the July 4th fireworks display is funded by donations from LBCA members. The fireworks are set off the Saturday before July 4 from Billy Goat Island, an island on the south side of the lake. Most people view the fireworks from boats driven near the island. As Lake Burton is set in the Appalachian MountainsAppalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
the fireworks echo off the surrounding mountains, providing another auditory level to the visual feast of the fireworks.