Clarks Hill - Strom Thurmond Lake

J. Strom Thurmond Lake, (also known as Clarks Hill Lake), is one of the top 10 most-visited Corps lakes in the nation and is the Largest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake east of the Mississippi River.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' J. Strom Thurmond Lake is a man-made lake bordering Georgia and South Carolina on the Savannah, Broad, and Little Rivers. The lake is created by the Thurmond Dam, located on the Savannah River 22 miles above Augusta, Ga., and 239.5 miles above the mouth of the Savannah River. The lake extends 39.4 miles up the Savannah River, 29 miles up the Little River, and 6.5 miles up the Broad River in Georgia, and 17 miles up the Little River in South Carolina.

At full pool elevation, the lake encompasses 1,200 miles of shoreline, 70,000+ acres of water and 80,000 acres of land. The Thurmond Project was designed for flood control, hydropower, fish and wildlife, water quality, water supply, downstream navigation and recreation.

The Corps operates 10 Class A campgrounds on this lake, five major day use areas and many other recreational facilities. Thurmond Lake provides excellent striper and largemouth bass fishing and its large wildlife management program provides excellent hunting and wildlife observation opportunities.

"J. Strom Thurmond" or "Clarks Hill" Lake?

Originally, this dam was called "Clarks Hill Dam". The "s" on the end of "Clarks" was omitted due to a clerical error tin the original Congressional Authorization, and the project became "Clark Hill Dam. Later, Senator J. Strom Thurmond requested Clark Hill Dam be renamed "Clarks Hill Dam." In 1988, Clarks Hill Dam was congressionally renamed "J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake at Clarks Hill."


Information Credits

This information courtesy of
Recreation.gov
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers