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LakeQuality
Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water
C

Macon County Lake Quality

North Carolina, 5 lakes, average grade C (Fair)

Macon 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. The county average is C — the middle of the rubric, with one or two lakes pulling the average up or down depending on year.

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. Lake Sequoyah (C) is the cleanest in the county.

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All Lakes in Macon County

5 lakes · 2 graded, 3 not rated2 graded lakes · 3 not rated, hidden

#LakeGradeClarityPhosphorusAlgaeTrophicAccess
1CLake SequoyahMaconC5.4 ft30 µg/L7 µg/LNo recent samplesNot recorded
2CNantahala LakeMaconC12.5 ft30 µg/L3.1 µg/LNo recent samples✓ Public
NRLake EmoryMaconNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRNantahala LakeMaconNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples✓ Public
NRLake SequoyahMaconNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot 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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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.