Cleveland County Lake Quality
North Carolina, 3 lakes, average grade D (Nutrient-rich)
Cleveland County holds 3 monitored lakes. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. 1 of those lake carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. On average, Cleveland County lakes grade D, with phosphorus loading and reduced clarity showing up across most of the dataset.
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. Kings Mountain Reservoir (D) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Cleveland County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Kings Mountain Reservoir — or check the official North Carolina fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Cleveland County
3 lakes · 1 graded, 2 not rated1 graded lake · 2 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DKings Mountain ReservoirCleveland | D | 6.9 ft | 50 µg/L | 11 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| NRKings Mountain Number One LakeCleveland | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRKings Mountain ReservoirCleveland | 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 Cleveland 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.