Updated Aug 2026
Alabama Lake Water Quality
Water quality grades for 110 monitored lakes across 45 counties.
Across Alabama, 110 lakes carry an active water-quality grade spread over 45 counties. The underlying measurements come from the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, alongside federal programs and volunteer monitoring networks. A-grade lakes are scarce in Alabama: about 15% of the dataset. Most lakes here sit in C or D — productive, often shallow, frequently algal in late summer.
Eutrophic conditions dominate — nutrient-loaded, productive, with algal pressure that shows up most years in late summer. These lakes tend to be shallow, agricultural-watershed, and over-warmed by the time July ends. Houston ranks highest on average county grade (A). Etowah sits lowest. With only 45 counties in the state, the cross-county spread is narrower than the within-county spread for most lakes.
Grade Distribution
All 110 Alabama lakes in the index: 82 (74.5%) carry an A–F grade and 28 (25.5%) are not rated, because they lack enough recent nutrient or algae sampling to support a letter.
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Top-Graded Alabama Lakes
The highest water-quality grades in Alabama — clarity, depth, and A-F grade at a glance.
Lake Map
Explore Alabama Lakes
Alabama reports, fishing & travel
Reservoirs in Alabama
View all 47 reservoirs →47 of 110 Alabama lakes (43%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 40 carry a High or Significant hazard rating. The oldest matched dam dates to 1910.
EPA-Impaired Lakes in Alabama
View all 28 impaired lakes →28 of 110 Alabama lakes (25%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 13 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.
Alabama Fishing & Recreation
Licenses, regulations, records, and where to fish across Alabama.
Counties
All 45 Alabama counties, ranked by average lake water quality. Compare them against every county nationwide in the county rankings, browse the full directory of graded lakes, or pick a different state.
Top 25 Cleanest Lakes
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ASmiw Lake | Winston | A | 11.5 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 2 | ALake Andrews | Houston | A | 5.9 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 3 | ATust Lake | Tuscaloosa | A | 7.7 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 4 | AInlb Lake | Blount | A | 11.9 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 5 | AThue Lake | Elmore | A | 5.8 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 6 | AClam Lake | Wilcox | A | 3 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 7 | AClam Lake | Monroe | A | 3 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 8 | AMare Lake | Elmore | A | 10.6 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 9 | AMare Lake | Randolph | A | 11.5 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 10 | AYate Lake | Tallapoosa | A | 4.7 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 11 | AYate Lake | Tallapoosa | A | 7.4 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 12 | ABclm Lake | Mobile | A | 6.9 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 13 | AShlb Lake | Baldwin | A | 4.4 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 14 | ANcht Lake | Tuscaloosa | A | 5.3 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 15 | ASinl Lake | Lawrence | A | 14.5 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 16 | AEllf Lake | Franklin | A | 8.8 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 17 | BWarg Lake | Hale | B | 2.8 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 18 | BOlit Lake | Tuscaloosa | B | 4.3 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 19 | BPtac Lake | Covington | B | 3.6 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 20 | BFjac Lake | Covington | B | 3.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 21 | BGntc Lake | Covington | B | 3.7 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 22 | BDanw Lake | Dallas | B | 3.1 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 23 | BDanw Lake | Wilcox | B | 2.9 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 24 | BDanw Lake | Wilcox | B | 2.9 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 25 | BDanw Lake | Dallas | B | 3 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
25 Lakes Needing Attention
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FBvlj Lake | Jefferson | F | 2.1 ft |
| 2 | FNees Lake | Etowah | F | 2.5 ft |
| 3 | DButl Lake | Marion | D | No recent samples |
| 4 | DBerw Lake | Winston | D | 5 ft |
| 5 | DOgll Lake | Lee | D | 4.1 ft |
| 6 | DFncc Lake | Chambers | D | 3.1 ft |
| 7 | DBwcd Lake | DeKalb | D | 4.3 ft |
| 8 | DHilc Lake | Calhoun | D | 3.8 ft |
| 9 | DAlbd Lake | DeKalb | D | 6.5 ft |
| 10 | DCtmc Lake | Cullman | D | 5.4 ft |
| 11 | DTurl Lake | Lawrence | D | 5 ft |
| 12 | DDucc Lake | Cullman | D | 4.1 ft |
| 13 | DMitc Lake | Coosa | D | 4.4 ft |
| 14 | DNees Lake | Cherokee | D | 2.4 ft |
| 15 | DNees Lake | St. Clair | D | 2.7 ft |
| 16 | DLayc Lake | Shelby | D | 3.7 ft |
| 17 | DLayc Lake | Chilton | D | 5.4 ft |
| 18 | DLogs Lake | Talladega | D | 2.6 ft |
| 19 | DLogs Lake | St. Clair | D | 3.3 ft |
| 20 | DLogs Lake | St. Clair | D | 4.8 ft |
| 21 | DTenr Lake | Lauderdale | D | 4.2 ft |
| 22 | DTenr Lake | Lauderdale | D | 6 ft |
| 23 | DTennessee River Lake | Jackson | D | 6.5 ft |
| 24 | DHolt Lake | Tuscaloosa | D | 4.7 ft |
| 25 | DHolt Lake | Tuscaloosa | D | 4.5 ft |
Lake Match
Which lake suits how you actually use one?
Six questions — swimming, fishing, quiet, cabins, drive time — and a shortlist of graded lakes that fit, with the water quality behind each one.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys and the EPA Water Quality Portal.
More on lake water quality
The top-graded lake in every state we cover, picked grade-first with water clarity as the tie-breaker — plus the states whose winner is still not clean.
State-by-state Secchi champions: the clearest measured lake in each U.S. state we grade, which is not the same as the cleanest nutrient grade.
A data snapshot of the lakes we grade: how the A–F distribution breaks down, the clearest and the greenest states, and where the water is improving.
How lakes are graded A–F on nutrients and algae using EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each letter means in the water, and why an A is not a clearance.