Chatham County Lake Quality
North Carolina, 8 lakes, average grade F (Algae-prone)
Chatham County has 8 monitored lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. 7 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. The county average is F — the most-stressed bracket in our rubric. Most monitored lakes here show persistent nutrient loading and algal pressure.
The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the grades sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest lake on the books is B Everett Jordan Lake (D); the most-stressed is B E Jordan Lake (F).
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Quick Answers for Chatham County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for B Everett Jordan Lake — or check the official North Carolina fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Chatham County
8 lakes · 7 graded, 1 not rated7 graded lakes · 1 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DB Everett Jordan LakeChatham | D | 1.8 ft | 117 µg/L | 22.9 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 2 | FB E Jordan LakeChatham | F | 2.6 ft | 40.5 µg/L | 35.5 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 3 | FJordan LakeChatham | F | 2.2 ft | 50 µg/L | 46 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 4 | FBuckhorn Dam LakeChatham | F | 2.3 ft | 100 µg/L | 31 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 5 | FTurner ReservoirChatham | F | 1.6 ft | 75 µg/L | 59 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 6 | FRocky River ReservoirChatham | F | 1.9 ft | 55 µg/L | 55.5 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 7 | FRobeson Creek LakeChatham | F | No recent samples | 60 µg/L | 31 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| NRSiler City Water Supply Lake Number ThreeChatham | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
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Other Counties in North Carolina
See how Chatham County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario and Québec), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.