Lake Anna
| Lake Anna | |
|---|---|
The North Anna Nuclear Generating Station is seen at the center of this aerial photograph.
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| Location | Louisa / Spotsylvania / Orange counties, Virginia, US |
| Coordinates | 38°01′26″N 77°43′01″W / 38.023889°N 77.716942°WCoordinates: 38°01′26″N 77°43′01″W / 38.023889°N 77.716942°W |
| Type | reservoir |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 17 mi (27 km) |
| Surface area | 13,000 acres (5,300 ha) |
| Max. depth | 80 feet (24 m) |
Lake Anna is one of the largest freshwater inland reservoirs in Virginia, covering an area of 13,000 acres (53 km2), and located 72 miles (116 km) south of Washington, D.C. in Louisa and Spotsylvania counties (and partially in Orange County at the northern tips). The lake is easily accessible from Richmond and Charlottesville, and is one of the most popular recreational lakes in the state.
The reservoir is formed by the North Anna Dam on the North Anna River at 38°00′47″N 77°42′46″W / 38.01306°N 77.71278°W. In 1968, Virginia Electric and Power Company (now Dominion) purchased 18,000 acres (73 km2) of farmlands in three counties along the North Anna and Pamunkey rivers to provide clean, fresh water to cool the nuclear power generating plants at the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station adjacent to the lake. By 1972 the lake bottom was cleared of all timber and the dam was nearing completion. It was projected to take three years to completely fill the lake, but with the additional rainfall from Hurricane Agnes, the lake was full in only 18 months. The first communities broke ground at about that same time and now some 120 different communities dot the shores of the lake. In March 1986, construction on the dam's nuclear power plant began and the two reactors went into commercial operation in December 1987.
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