Columbus County Lake Quality

Columbus County holds 7 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. Columbus 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.

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 Lake Waccamaw (A); the most-stressed is Lake Tabor (F).