• Surface Area: 2,250 Acres
• Volume: 27,000 Acre Feet
• Drainage Area: 173 Square Miles
• Average Depth: 14 Feet
Lake Robinson spreads out over 2,250 acres in Chesterfield and Darlington Counties near Hartsville, South Carolina. Lake Robinson is long and narrow, about 4.5 miles long and less than a mile wide. The lake was created by Progress Power (formerly Carolina Power & Light) with construction of the Lake Robinson Dam on Black Creek in 1960. Lake Robinson, also known as Lake H. B. Robinson, was named after H. Burton Robinson, a South Carolina native and former executive vice president of Carolina Power & Light. Lake H.B. Robinson should not be confused with Lake John Robinson located in Greenville County, South Carolina.
Lake Robinson provides power and flood control to South Carolina residents, and recreational opportunities to residents and visitors alike. The H.B. Robinson electrical generating station includes side-by-side coal and nuclear plants, providing power to about 400,000 homes. Lake waters are used to cool the plant's generators. The heated water discharges into an adjacent cooling lake and re-enters Lake Robinson via a canal that spans nearly the length of the lake. Lake Robinson water levels are held fairly constant at 220 feet above sea level in order to provide cooling for the power plant. During periods of heavy rain, Lake Robinson also stores excess water flowing in from Black Creek to prevent downstream flooding.