What is the cleanest lake in Virginia?

Mouth of Witcher Cr. Lake in Bedford County has the cleanest nutrient and algae readings in Virginia, with 11.2 feet of measured water clarity.

How are these rankings calculated?

Nutrients and algae, total phosphorus, nitrogen, chlorophyll-a and turbidity, are read against EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition classes for that lake’s ecoregion. Water clarity (Secchi depth) is measured and shown separately. Lakes without enough recent samples are listed without a condition class rather than ranked low. Source data comes from the EPA Water Quality Portal.

Best Lakes to Swim In in Virginia

42 lakes in Virginia lead the swimming list on clear, low-nutrient water with chlorophyll-a (algae) under 10 µg/L. Always check local advisories on the day you swim.

Ranked List

#	Lake	County	Clarity	Phosphorus	Algae
1	Mouth of Witcher Cr. Lake	Bedford	11.2 ft	10 µg/L	1.9 µg/L
2	Lower Blackwater River Lake	Franklin	12.1 ft	10 µg/L	2.3 µg/L
3	Dam Lake	Franklin	12.1 ft	10 µg/L	1.7 µg/L
4	Dam Lake	Pittsylvania	10.5 ft	10 µg/L	2 µg/L
5	Dam Lake	Alleghany	12.1 ft	10 µg/L	1.7 µg/L
6	Sta B Lake	Mecklenburg	7.2 ft	10 µg/L	3.8 µg/L
7	Union Bridge Lake	Patrick	8.2 ft	10 µg/L	2.7 µg/L
8	Hidden Valley Lake	Washington	9.7 ft	10 µg/L	3.1 µg/L
9	Hunting Run Reservior Lake	Spotsylvania	8.2 ft	10 µg/L	2.2 µg/L
10	Goose Point Lake	Franklin	10.2 ft	10 µg/L	1.5 µg/L
11	Mouth Craddock Cr. Lake	Bedford	10.2 ft	10 µg/L	1.6 µg/L
12	Above Dam Lake	Albemarle	13.1 ft	10 µg/L	1.6 µg/L
13	Above Dam Lake	Pulaski	9.2 ft	10 µg/L	2.1 µg/L
14	Cool Branch Lake	Franklin	10.5 ft	10 µg/L	2.1 µg/L
15	Laurel Bed Lake	Russell	9.8 ft	10 µg/L	3.8 µg/L
16	Confl. Blackwater River Lake	Bedford	9.8 ft	10 µg/L	2 µg/L
17	Mouth of Bull Run Lake	Franklin	10.2 ft	10 µg/L	2.1 µg/L
18	Carvins Cove Reservoir	Botetourt	11.5 ft	10 µg/L	1.2 µg/L
19	Bolar Mtn. Campground Lake	Bath	9.2 ft	10 µg/L	1.8 µg/L
20	Lee Hall Reservoir	Newport News city	4.8 ft	30 µg/L	5.8 µg/L
21	Mouth Big Lick Cr. Lake	Alleghany	12.5 ft	10 µg/L	1.7 µg/L
22	Motts Run Reservoir	Spotsylvania	10.2 ft	10 µg/L	2.3 µg/L
23	Wise Lake	Wise	10.5 ft	10 µg/L	2.2 µg/L
24	Lake Robertson	Rockbridge	13.9 ft	10 µg/L	1.9 µg/L
25	West Arm Lake	Pulaski	9.2 ft	10 µg/L	2.4 µg/L
26	Smith Lake	Stafford	8.2 ft	10 µg/L	2.3 µg/L
27	Sta Lake	York	6.9 ft	20 µg/L	4.1 µg/L
28	Lake Keokee	Lee	9.7 ft	10 µg/L	2.6 µg/L
29	Leesville Lakea-Topb-Middlec-Bot	Pittsylvania	5.2 ft	10 µg/L	4 µg/L
30	Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone	Wise	12.5 ft	10 µg/L	2.1 µg/L
31	North Fork Pound Reservoir@Dam	Wise	12.1 ft	10 µg/L	2 µg/L
32	Martinsville Reservoir	Henry	8.5 ft	10 µg/L	2.1 µg/L
33	Talbott Reservoir	Patrick	9.8 ft	10 µg/L	3.2 µg/L
34	Goose Creek Reservoir	Loudoun	2.1 ft	65 µg/L	2.1 µg/L
35	Little Creek Reserv Sta Lake	James City	9.5 ft	10 µg/L	2.2 µg/L
36	Pedlar River Reservoir	Amherst	7.5 ft	10 µg/L	5.5 µg/L
37	Beaverdam Creek Reservoir	Loudoun	5.4 ft	10 µg/L	4 µg/L
38	Near Spillway Lake Mooney	Stafford	9.2 ft	10 µg/L	1.4 µg/L
39	Hungry Mother Lake Sta	Smyth	8.7 ft	10 µg/L	3.1 µg/L
40	Coles Run Reservoir	Augusta	25.8 ft	5 µg/L	0.5 µg/L
41	Lake Witten	Tazewell	11.3 ft	10 µg/L	2.1 µg/L
42	Horseshoe Point Lake	Patrick	9.8 ft	10 µg/L	1.7 µg/L

Ranked List

More Answers for Virginia