After undergoing an extensive two-year-long renovation, the Lake Burton Fish Hatchery is operating again. Officials recently cut the ribbon on the newly-renovated facility in Northeast Georgia.
Located on Moccasin Creek next to Lake Burton in Rabun County, the fish hatchery raises rainbow and brown trout. It’s one of three state-operated trout hatcheries in Georgia. Combined, they produce over one million fish each year for stocking in public waters.
The hatcheries are run by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resources Division.
“We are so excited to get this renovated facility open so we can get back to the business of raising quality trout to better serve the angling public,” says trout program coordinator John Lee Thomson.
First major renovation in decades
Originally built in 1938, the Lake Burton Fish Hatchery was in dire need of renovation with its crumbling hatchery raceway walls, lack of climate-controlled facilities for food storage, insufficient equipment storage space, and dilapidated offices. One of the most critical issues, officials say, was drought. In extreme drought years, fish would have to be moved to another facility or even stocked prematurely, impacting both the stocking program and trout anglers.
The last major renovation of the facility was over forty years ago in 1978 as part of the Clean Water Act. Now, the hatchery has a new trout production building, office building, residence, warehouse, and climate-controlled feed storage building. Other improvements include an oxygen injection system, new dam/water intake and repaved parking area and boat ramp.
In addition, new technology was incorporated into the design allowing nearly 100 percent of the water flowing from the circular tanks to be cleaned and reused in downstream raceways, further enhancing Burton’s new drought-resistant operating system, the DNR says.
Project funding
The renovations were paid for through bond funds, trout license plate sales, and the Sport Fish Restoration Fund. Anglers help support the state’s hatcheries through fishing license fees and taxes on items like fishing equipment and boat fuel.
The Lake Burton Fish Hatchery is located approximately 20 miles north of Clarkesville on Georgia Highway 197 and is open to the public.
For updated information and times, visit Burton Trout Hatchery on the GA DNR website.
