Tired Creek Lake
| Tired Creek Lake | |
|---|---|
 A floating dock at Tired Creek Lake, 2025 | |
  Tired Creek Lake Location within Georgia  Tired Creek Lake Location within the United States | |
| Location | Georgia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 30°55′47″N 84°15′45″W / 30.9298°N 84.2625°W |
| Type | Artificial |
| Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 960 acres (390 ha) |
| Max. depth | 30 ft (9 m)[1] |
Surface elevation | 220 ft (67 m)[2] |
| Website | https://cairogachamber.com/tired-creek-lake |
Tired Creek Lake is a lake in Cairo, Georgia in Grady County.[3] It is a 960-acre recreational fishing lake at the confluence of Black Creek, Buss Creek, and Sapp Creek.[3] The lake is named after Tired Creek. At full pool the lake is 220.2 feet above sea level.[4] The lake is located at 263 State Park Road.[5]
History
[edit]The idea for constructing a lake at the site dates to the 1930s.[6]
In 1962, The U.S. Study Commission, Southeast River Basins produced Plan for Development of the Land and Water Resources of the Southeast River Basins which involved a proposal to develop Tired Creek Lake.[3] Grady County then began pursuing this as a State Park project.[3]
In 1968, Grady County Recreation Committee sought funding from the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation towards the Tired Creek Lake project.[3] In the same year, Wiedeman & Singleton Engineers produced a report for a dam site.[3]
In 1973, Grady County gave the deed of the site to Georgia Department of Natural Resources for the purpose of establishing Tired Creek State Park.[3] The department then produced a master plan for the park which included a lake.[3] The state government then began construction but this ended when funding was cut.[3]
In 1993, the land for the site was returned to Grady County.[3]
In 1996, Grady County established the Tired Creek Advisory Committee.[3] This committee considered potential uses for the site and liased with regulatory agencies.[3]
In 2006, Grady County made a Clean Water Act Section 404 Permit application to the US Army Corps of Engineers.[3]
In 2010, Grady County received a permit from the US Army Corps of Engineers to construct the lake.[3] Grady County took out $10 million in bonds to fund the project.[7] In July, Grady County commissioners accepted bids totaling $238,349.50 from four surveying firms, splitting required work between the firms in order to complete the surveying of mitigation tracts by a 16 July deadline.[8]
In 2013, construction began on the project.[9]
In 2015, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled in favor of Grady County after a two-year-long case concerning permission to cut down more trees beyond what is usually permitted.[10] In the same year, the lake was stocked with bass.[4] By the end of the year, the construction of the lake had been completed pending final approval from the US Army Corps of Engineers to fill the lake.[11]
In 2016, the county started to fill the lake and constructed boat ramps along with amenities.[9]
In 2017, biologists from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources concluded that bass stocking in the lake had been successful.[4] In July, at a vision meeting for the lake project assembled authorities emphasized that the primary economic focus of the lake would be fishing.[12]
In 2018, the lake was officially opened on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.[13] On 26 May, Sherry Vann caught a 14-lb largemouth bass which Georgia Outdoor News described as a "monster".[5] Initially, the lake was free for people from Grady County and children under 15 years of age, and $3 per day for non-residents of the county.[9][14] In June, changes to its fishing policies and prices meant that people from outside of the county had to pay $10 per day with the option of a $200 yearly pass.[15] In September, the Grady County Board of Commissioners approved a recommendation from the Grady County Lake Authority to permit duck hunting at the lake.[16] A total of 216 permits were to be issued, assigned through a lottery.[16]
In 2020, Grady County officials met with Raymond James and Associates to discuss refinancing the $10 million worth of bonds that were taken out in 2010.[7] The County Administrator at this time, Buddy Johnson, supported this.[7] Payments on these bonds are supported by fishing revenues.[7][17]
In 2021, Amanda Parker caught a 28-inch-long largemouth bass weighing 14.60 lb, setting a new record both for the lake and for the largest bass caught by a Georgia woman in 50 years.[18][19]
In 2023, Cairo Grady Development LLC signed a $1.7 million contract to purchase 200 acres of land at Tired Creek Lake for the purpose of developing a campground.[20]
In 2025, officials discussed infrastructure upgrades at the lake including the installation of electricity and the creation of a family-oriented recreational space.[6]
Ecology
[edit]Georgia Department of Natural Resources completed water sampling and monitoring alongside visual surveys from April 2016 until September 2018.[2] In this report, the Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division noted "illegal dumping of old furniture, tires, litter" in the creeks flowing into Tired Creek Lake.[2] The report indicated that the presence of Escherichia coli (E. Coli) in the lake was at similar concentration (cfu/100mL) to Litte Tired, Parkers Mill, Tired Creek, and Turkey Creek.[2] The air and water temperature at Tired Creek Lake was slightly higher than the other measured sites.[2]
Politics
[edit]The Georgia Water Coalition opposed the development of the lake, describing it as "unnecessary".[21] The coalition criticized the estimated costs associated with the lake development project.[21] The coalition said Grady County had "fought to minimize the size of the buffer around the lake" and "refused to put the undeveloped portion of the property – more than 2,000 acres – under a conservation easement".[21]
External links
[edit]
References
[edit]- ↑ Harrison, Jarrett (18 July 2018). "Tired Creek Opens To Good Fishing". gon.com. Georgia Outdoor News. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division (2018). Development and implementation of Tired Creek watershed management plan, 2018. Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Tired Creek Lake". cairogachamber.com. Cairo, Georgia Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "DNR survey indicates fish stocking has been a success at Tired Creek Lake". The Cairo Messenger. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 Cain, Chad. "Monster Bass Caught At Tired Creek Lake". Georgia Outdoor News. Georgia Outdoor News. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 Torres, Leo (26 August 2025). "Officials convene at Tired Creek Lake to plan future development". The Post-Searchlight. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Yabor, Erik (17 June 2020). "Grady County to get lower rates on some Tired Creek Lake bonds". The Valdosta Daily Times. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Four land surveying firms get split of county project". The Cairo Messenger. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Matthews, Noelani (1 June 2017). "$38 million Tired Creek Lake project opens in Grady County". WCTV Eyewitness News. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Patterson, Catherine (18 June 2015). "Litigation no longer pending during Tired Creek Lake project". WALB News 10. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ "Tired Creek Lake waiting for approval". WALB News 10. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Barela, Jordan (9 June 2017). "Grady County leaders hope to make Tired Creek Lake stand out". The Moultrie Observer. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Barela, Jordan (30 May 2018). "Tired Creek Lake opens". The Valdosta Daily Times. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Harrison, Jarrett (18 July 2018). "Tired Creek Opens To Good Fishing". Georgia Outdoor News. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Argenbright, Whitney (22 June 2018). "Tired Creek Lake announces price and policy changes". WALB News 10. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 "County approves lake authority recommendation to permit duck hunting on Tired Creek Lake". The Cairo Messenger. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Yabor, Erik (1 July 2020). "Lake Authority, Grady look to take advantage of better bond rates". Thomasville Times-Enterprise. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Mundinger, Cliff (6 May 2021). "Valdosta woman sets record for Tired Creek Lake largemouth bass". Talahassee Democrat. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ James, Craig (5 May 2021). "Tired Creek Bass Record Broken Again". Georgia Outdoor News. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- ↑ Thompson, Clint (3 August 2023). "$1.7 Million agreement signed for 200 acres at Tired Creek Lake". The Thomasville Times-Enterprise. Retrieved 27 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 Georgia Water Coalition. "2012's Worst Offenses Against Georgia's Water Tired Creek: Unnecessary Fishing Lake Puts Taxpayers On the Hook, Threatens Downstream Communities" (PDF). oldgariver.gawater.org. Georgia Water Coalition. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
