Lake Oliver
Lake Oliver | ||
---|---|---|
Primary inflows Chattahoochee River | | |
Primary outflows | Chattahoochee River | |
Basin countries | United States | |
Surface area | 2,150 acres (9 km2) | |
Max. depth | 50 feet (15 m) | |
Shore length1 | 40 miles (64 km) | |
Surface elevation | 337 feet (103 m) | |
Settlements | Columbus, Georgia | |
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. |
Lake Oliver is a 2,150-acre (8.7 km2) reservoir on the Chattahoochee River, which lies south of Goat Rock Dam (Goat Rock Lake). The lake is created by the Oliver Dam and Generating Plant, which was completed in 1959 by Georgia Power.
The lake was named for James McCoy Oliver, an executive of Georgia Power at the time. Oliver Dam has four turbine units, and the dam itself is 70 feet tall and 2,150 feet (660 m) long. At the southern end of the reservoir, Lake Oliver is relatively wide but quickly narrows and becomes almost riverine at the northern end of the lake, at the foot of the Goat Rock Dam upstream.
Public access to the lake is limited to one marina owned by the City of Columbus. Since Lake Oliver is entirely within the city limits of
In the summer, the lake is very crowded with recreational activity. The other three seasons usually see anglers fishing for sunfish. Lake Oliver also serves as the municipal water supply for Columbus.
The location of Oliver Dam is approximately at the
Lake Oliver is the northernmost point of the