The private side has an extended water sports season. The private side can be substantially warmer than the public side, especially near the discharge point, where it can be too hot for swimming. The public side is known as the 'cold' side because it provides water to cool the generators at the power plant the private or 'hot' side receives warm water discharge from the power plant. The public side sees significantly higher boat traffic than the private side, especially on summer weekends. The public side has several marinas and boat launches, including a boat ramp at the state park. The private side has no marinas or public access ramps only property owners and North Anna Power Station employees have access to the waters of the private side. The public and private sides are divided by three stone dikes.

The private side is formed of three main bodies of water, connected by navigable canals. The public side is roughly 9,000 acres (36 km 2), while the private side is roughly 4,000 acres (16 km 2). The lake is divided into two sides: the public side (also known as the 'cold' side) and the private side, working as a cooling pond (also known as the 'hot' side). Lake Anna is approximately 17 miles (27 km) long from tip to tip, with 200 miles (320 km) of shoreline. The second unit followed in December 1980. In June 1978, the first of the two reactors went into commercial operation. The first communities broke ground at about that same time and now some 120 different communities dot the shores of the lake. It was projected to take three years to completely fill the lake, but with the additional rainfall from Hurricane Agnes, the lake was full in only 18 months.

By 1972 the lake bottom was cleared of all timber and the dam was nearing completion. In 1968, Virginia Electric and Power Company (now Dominion) purchased 18,000 acres (73 km 2) of farmlands in three counties along the North Anna and Pamunkey rivers to provide clean, fresh water to cool the nuclear power generating plants at the North Anna Nuclear Generating Station adjacent to the lake. The reservoir is formed by the North Anna Dam on the North Anna River at 38☀0′47″N 77☄2′46″W. and is one of the most popular recreational lakes in the state. The lake is easily accessible from Fredericksburg, Richmond, Charlottesville, Northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Lake Anna is one of the largest freshwater inland reservoirs in Virginia, covering an area of 13,000 acres (53 km 2), and located 72 miles (116 km) south of Washington, D.C. in Louisa and Spotsylvania counties (and partially in Orange County at the northern tips). The North Anna Nuclear Generating Station is seen at the center of this aerial photograph.

Rumpus in bumpass