Polk County Lake Quality
North Carolina, 3 lakes, average grade D (Nutrient-rich)
Polk County has 3 monitored 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. 1 of those lake carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. On average, Polk County lakes grade D, with phosphorus loading and reduced clarity showing up across most of the dataset.
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 Adger (D); the most-stressed is Lake Adger (D).
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Quick Answers for Polk County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Lake Adger — or check the official North Carolina fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Polk County
3 lakes · 1 graded, 2 not rated1 graded lake · 2 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DLake AdgerPolk | D | 3.9 ft | 50 µg/L | 7.2 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| NRLake Sandy PlainsPolk | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRLake AdgerPolk | 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.
Lake Match
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Other Counties in North Carolina
See how Polk 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.