1
—Near the Dam Lake
Amelia County, Virginia · 19.9 mi from Near Dam Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++1.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20 vs 60 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Near Dam Lake
5 lakes with lower nutrient and algae readings within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Near Dam Lake carries nutrient and algae readings on record. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes read lower. Near the Dam Lake (Amelia County, Grade C, 19.9 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated
2
—Holiday Lake Sta
Buckingham County, Virginia · 22 mi from Near Dam Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++4.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20 vs 60 µg/L)
3
—Powhatan Lake
Powhatan County, Virginia · 15.6 mi from Near Dam Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- +Lower phosphorus (40 vs 60 µg/L)
4
—Sandy River Lake
Prince Edward County, Virginia · 19.5 mi from Near Dam Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++1.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20 vs 60 µg/L)
5
—Totier Creek Reservoir
Albemarle County, Virginia · 21.3 mi from Near Dam Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- +Lower phosphorus (50 vs 60 µg/L)
Reading the cohort
5 cleaner lakes sit within 30 miles of Near Dam Lake in the EPA water-quality dataset. With that many lower-nutrient neighbors close by, Near Dam Lake's readings reflect something specific to the lake itself, not a regional water-quality ceiling. The neighbor list below isn't a small set of marginal upgrades; it's a real cohort of meaningfully cleaner choices for the same Virginia weekend.
The nearest cleaner alternative — Near the Dam Lake in Amelia County — sits 19.9 miles from Near Dam Lake, putting it firmly in "destination trip" rather than "neighborhood swap" range. The water-quality gap has to be the deciding factor; for a casual outing, Near Dam Lake is the practical choice and the cleaner options are reserved for purpose-specific visits.
Each lake's nutrient and algae readings — total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity — are shown beside the EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition class for that lake's own ecoregion, so a reading is compared against the lakes it would naturally resemble. LakeQuality publishes no letter grade. Lower readings mean measurably less nutrient and algae in the water, not better scenery or access: the lake with the clearest, lowest-nutrient water can have worse boat-launch facilities or shoreline access than a neighbor, so the comparison is one input alongside the rest of trip planning. How the readings are classified is on our methodology page.
How this list is built
Sampled lakes on LakeQuality carry readings from EPA Water Quality Portal samples — nutrients and algae measured against EPA National Lakes Assessment ecoregion classes. Secchi is shown, not scored. To suggest cleaner alternatives, we filter lakes within 30 miles to those with a strictly higher numeric score, then rank by the size of the improvement with a small proximity tiebreak. Cross-state and limited-data lakes are excluded so the list stays locally relevant.