Allatoona Lake, Georgia

Lake Allatoona (rarely called Allatoona Lake, its government name) is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lake in Georgia, located in northwestern metro Atlanta. The lake is mostly in southwestern Cherokee County, but a significant part is in southeastern Bartow County, and a small part in Cobb County near Acworth. Red Top Mountain State Park is located on its shores, and Cartersville is the nearest large town. The lake was authorized by the Flood Control Acts of 1941 and 1946. The riverside town of Allatoona was destroyed by the creation of the lake. The lake is popular for summer recreation, including boating served by several private marinas and public boat ramps. Acworth Beach is an area where the red clay soil has been covered with white beach sand, and roped off with floats for safety from boaters. Allatoona also supplies much of the drinking water for the three counties it is in. The lake is supplied by the Etowah River, and its major tributary the Little River, as well as smaller streams like Allatoona Creek and Noonday Creek. The Allatoona Dam holding back the lake was built on the Etowah, which in turn merges into the Coosa River downstream (northwest) at Rome. The watershed upstream (mostly northeast) of Allatoona covers about 1,100 square miles (2,850 km²).