Lake Sidney Lanier is a roughly 38,000-acre reservoir in north-central Georgia on the Chattahoochee and Chestatee rivers, northeast of Atlanta in the Apalachicola–Chattahoochee–Flint basin. It was created when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed Buford Dam in the 1950s. Lanier's proximity to metro Atlanta makes it one of the most heavily used Corps lakes in the nation for water supply, flood risk management, hydropower, and recreation.

With about 692 miles of shoreline, an average depth near 60 feet, and deep water near the dam, Lanier is characterized by numerous creek arms, wooded coves, long points, and defined river and creek channels. A mix of developed and undeveloped shoreline contributes to varied habitat, while open main-lake areas transition into narrower tributaries that support diverse aquatic environments across the upper Chattahoochee watershed.

Lake Lanier supports a highly diverse warmwater fishery, including well-established populations of largemouth and spotted bass, striped bass, crappie, and catfish, with fisheries managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Corps parks, marinas, and public ramps ring the lake, and its metro location draws millions of visitors a year for boating, fishing, and shoreline recreation.

Water levels are managed by the Corps under a seasonal conservation-pool guide of about 1,071 feet NGVD29 in summer and 1,070 feet in winter, with flood-risk management storage extending to 1,085 feet. As the uppermost major storage project in the ACF system above West Point Lake and Lake Eufaula (Walter F. George), Lanier elevations respond strongly to rainfall, drought, and basin-wide water-supply demands, so monitoring current lake levels is essential for boating, fishing, and dock access.

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