fills more rapidly than Lake Lanier during droughts and floods. The lake's summer level has averaged above mean sea level. During major droughts it has dropped as much as below this, exposing old tree stumps and former hills which are normally submerged at depth safe for navigating boats. Its maximum capacity or flood stage is + [ AMSL], though it has never been known to reach this level, and flooding of boat ramps and other lakeside facilities begins to occur well below it. Hydroelectric power generation at Allatoona returns more than $3.5 million to the U.S. Treasury annually. The Corps of Engineers has 662 campsites on Allatoona. History Allatoona Pass was the site of an intensive 8-hour battle during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War in June 1864. More than 1,500 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing in this battle. Lake Allatoona was authorized by the Flood Control Acts of 1941 and 1946. The creekside town of Allatoona, Georgia was destroyed by the creation of the lake. Several roads were also severed or rerouted, including the Acworth-Dallas Highway. The general contractor for construction of Allatoona Dam was National Constructor Inc. The total cost of the Allatoona project for construction, land, clearing, and relocation was $31,500,000 in 1950. The record high water on Allatoona of occurred on April 9, 1964. Visitors to Allatoona spent more than $12 million for consumable goods in 1999. The Corps collected more than $1 million in camping and day use fees in 2006. From 1950 through 2006, 281 drownings have occurred in Allatoona. The power plant began operation January 31, 1950. Since 1957 the summer pool elevation has been AMSL. Since 1957 the winter draw-down has been AMSL. Two municipalities withdraw water from the lake. The city of Cartersville uses . Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority uses . During the late 1980s, there was a prolonged drought. The peak of the drought in 1986 exposed vast portions of the lake bed revealing tree stumps, roads, and foundations of houses (Wilson's farm). Grass grew in some places and children were seen to mow the grass and play baseball on the newfound vacant lots. In 1998 Allatoona clocked 86,813,126 hours, which were more visitor hours than any of the other 450 Corps of Engineer projects in the United States, and exceeded that in 2006 with more than 92 million visitor hours. Facilities Marinas There