Lake Julian is a reservoir in Buncombe County, North Carolina,[1] that was formerly used to cool a nearby power plant.

[2] Its waters are stocked with game fish like catfish, crappies, and bream by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

[4] It was formerly warmed by the energy plant which discharged water used to cool its turbines into the lake, keeping the lake's water temperature an average of 64 degrees fahrenheit,[5] with highs of up to 95 degrees in the summer and lows above 50 in the winter.

[6] These unnaturally warm temperatures made the lake a home for non-native species like blue tilapia and armoured catfish.

The lake temperature dropped after the plant switched from coal to natural gas in 2020, causing the lake's ecosystem to revert to a more natural population of native fish and a shorter growing season.