One of the Cleanest Lakes in the State

Most people who either live on or recreate at Lake Martin know that it is a Treasured Alabama Lake (TAL). It is, in fact, Alabama’s one and only TAL. Thanks to the numerous TAL signs developed by Lake Martin Home Owners and Boat Owners Association and posted around the lake, even passers-by should be aware of our lake’s special designation. The designation was bestowed on the lake by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) in 2011 after years of effort by Lake Watch of Lake Martin. 

This begs the logical question: Does the TAL designation make Lake Martin exempt from pollution? Well, not entirely, but it sure helps – by prohibiting new point sources of pollution (waste water treatment plants and waste outfalls from industries) from emptying into the lake; thus, it’s expected that the lake, known as one of the cleanest in the state, would remain clean.