Chatham County Lake Quality
North Carolina, 7 lakes, average grade F (Very Poor)
Chatham County has 7 graded 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. The county average is F — the most-stressed bracket in our rubric. Most monitored lakes here show persistent nutrient loading and algal pressure.
Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. B E Jordan Lake (D) is the cleanest in the county.
Quick Answers for Chatham County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for B E Jordan Lake — or check the official North Carolina fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Chatham County
| Rank | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B E Jordan Lake | D | 2.6 ft | 40.5 µg/L |
| 2 | Robeson Creek Lake | D | - | 60 µg/L |
| 3 | Jordan Lake | F | 2 ft | 60 µg/L |
| 4 | B Everett Jordan Lake | F | 1.8 ft | 117 µg/L |
| 5 | Turner Reservoir | F | 1.6 ft | 80 µg/L |
| 6 | Rocky River Reservoir | F | 1.9 ft | 70 µg/L |
| 7 | Buckhorn Dam Lake | F | 2.3 ft | 100 µg/L |
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 12 states.
Where to stay near Chatham County
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.