Lake Anna 101

       Lake Anna was created in 1972 by Virginia Power (now the Dominion Power Company).  It is the second largest lake in Virginia with 13,000 acres and approximately 250 miles of beautiful shoreline.  The lake is divided into two parts, the public side (9,600 acres) and the private side (3,400 acres).  Three stone dikes divide the two sides.  The Power Plant takes in water from the public side and discharges slightly warmer water into the private side.  The warmed water does recirculate back into the public side however there is no access by boat from one side to the other.

• Public Side vs Private Side?  Both sides of the lake are equally popular and there is no difference in property values between the public and private sides.  It is generally agreed that there is less boat traffic on the private side since only property owners have access to the private side.  Fuel for watercraft must be brought in on the private side.  Small fuel tanks are allowed on private side property.  The public side is larger and has access to commercial development such as marinas, state park, hotel and restaurant.
• Waterfront Shoreline  Dominion Power owns all of the Lake Anna Shoreline up to an elevation of 255 ft above sea-level (approximately 5-10 ft above normal Lake Anna water level).  Waterfront property owners have an exclusive deeded right to use the shoreline fronting their property and can generally with approval, improve it with docks, boathouses, bulkheads and beaches.
• Prices  Waterfront homes range from the mid $400,000's to $2,000,000+.  Waterfront lots range from $180,000 to $800,000.  Water access* homes start at $150,000 and water access* lots start at $30,000.

*Water Access?  Most of the 135 Lake Anna communities have both waterfront and non-waterfront lots.  Most have set aside a waterfront lot within the community for use by the non-waterfront owners.  The amenities at these lots vary but may include launch ramp, dock, and boat slips.  In some communities there are enough boat slips so that there is one slip assigned to each non-waterfront property. In other communities, the boat slips may be day slips only.