Cherokee County Lake Quality

Cherokee County holds 5 monitored lakes. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. 2 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Cherokee County averages to a C. The distribution behind that average matters more than the letter: a few stressed lakes versus many decent ones can produce the same average as the inverse.

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. Hiwassee Reservoir (C) is the cleanest in the county.