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Lake Martin is located in east-central Alabama in Tallapoosa, Elmore and Coosa Counties. The lake's watershed extends into Georgia and covers 3,000 square miles (note: a watershed is the total land area which drains to a common point, such as a lake, a larger river or the ocean).
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When dam construction was completed in 1926, Lake Martin was one of the largest reservoirs in the world. It has surface area of 40,000 acres, and more than 700 miles of shoreline. The lake is the second deepest in the state, with a 168-foot dam and a water retention time of 190 days. It is commonly referred to as the cleanest lake in Alabama and possibly in the southeastern United States.
The lake and its tributaries are part of the Tallapoosa River watershed. The Tallapoosa River joins the Coosa River just north of Montgomery, AL to form the Alabama River. This three-river system is called the "ACT Basin". The waters of Lake Martin eventually flow to the Gulf of Mexico through Mobile Bay.
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Lake Watch of Lake Martin
water quality sampling sites
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Citizen volunteers of Lake Watch of Lake Martin (LWLM) monitor the water quality of the lake. LWLM was the first group to join Alabama Water Watch (AWW) in 1993, and more than two dozen certified monitors have collected monthly samples on nine lake sites for more than seven years (see map). Information from 600 lake samples has been submitted to AWW for entry into the statewide water quality database, and most of this data set is summarized and posted on the AWW internet website. |
This report was compiled by Alabama Water Watch program personnel
in partnership with Lake Watch of Lake Martin.
