There are several private marinas and public boat ramps on the banks of the lake. Lake Allatoona also supplies much of the drinking water for the three counties that it is in. The water is supplied mostly by the Etowah River, and its major tributary the Little River, and in turn Noonday Creek. The other major arm of the lake is Allatoona Creek, extending down to Acworth, where pre-existing Lake Acworth now empties directly into Allatoona at Lake Acworth Drive. Other significant streams include Kellogg Creek and Rose Creek. The Allatoona Dam holding back the lake was completed in 1949 on the Etowah River, which in turn merges with the Oostanaula River at Rome, Georgia to form the Coosa River of Georgia and Alabama. Its basin upstream of Lake Allatoona covers about. This is nearly as large as the basin of Lake Lanier, but since Lake Allatoona is smaller, it drains and fills more rapidly than Lake Lanier during droughts and floods. The lake's summer level has averaged above mean sea level. During major droughts it has dropped as much as below this, exposing old tree stumps and former hills which are normally submerged at depth safe for navigating boats. Its maximum capacity or flood stage is + , though it has never been known to reach this level, and flooding of boat ramps and other lakeside facilities begins to occur well below it.
Hydroelectric power generation at Allatoona returns more than $3.5 million to the U.S. Treasury annually.
The Corps of Engineers has 662 campsites on Allatoona.
History
was the site of an intensive 8-hour battle during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War in June 1864. More than 1,500 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing in this battle. Lake Allatoona was authorized by the Flood Control Acts of 1941 and 1946. The creekside town of Allatoona, Georgia was destroyed by the creation of the lake. Several roads were also severed or rerouted, including the Acworth-Dallas Highway. The general contractor for construction of Allatoona Dam was National Constructor Inc. The total cost of the Allatoona project for construction, land, clearing, and relocation was $31,500,000 in 1950. The record high water on Allatoona of occurred on April 9, 1964. Visitors to Allatoona spent more than $12 million for consumable goods in 1999. The Corps collected more than $1 million in camping and day use fees in 2006. From 1950 through 2006, 281 drownings have occurred in Allatoona. The power plant began operation January 31, 1950. Since 1957 the summer pool elevation has been AMSL. Since 1957 the winter draw-down has been AMSL. Two municipalities withdraw water from the lake. The city of Cartersville uses. Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority uses. During the late 1980s there was a prolonged drought. The peak of the drought in 1986 exposed vast portions of the lake bed revealing tree stumps, roads, and foundations of houses. Grass grew in some places and children were seen to mow the grass and play baseball on the newfound vacant lots. In 1998 Allatoona clocked 86,813,126 hours, which were more visitor hours than any of the other 450 Corps of Engineer projects in the United States, and exceeded that in 2006 with more than 92 million visitor hours.
The presence of Allatoona Dam has prevented nearly $80 million in flood damages since 1950.
Facilities
Marinas
There are eight privately operated marinas that provide fuel, storage, boat repairs, rentals, supplies, and/ or other boater's needs. There are also two yacht-clubs, one off Kellogg Creek Road towards the middle of the lake and the other off Red Top Mountain State Park Rd.
Boat ramps
The Corps of Engineers provides fifteen public boat ramps throughout the lake area located in three counties: Cobb, Cherokee and Bartow. These are used for water sports, water park area, paddle boating, picnic place, for the south-western part of the lake. Parking is provided.
Recreation
Camping: The Corps of Engineers operates seven campgrounds and campsites on the Lake Allatoona area. Hunting: All hunting seasons are set by the appropriate state or local governing authority. State hunting licenses are required at all areas open to hunting on the Corps of Engineers property.
