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

Wake County Lake Quality

North Carolina, 18 lakes, measured by NC DEQ

The county-level average smooths over real differences — a single agricultural watershed near the southwest corner can pull the average down even if the rest of the county runs clean. 14 of those lakes carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. The monitored lakes here are mostly shallow, productive basins where summer algae is common; each lake page shows its own readings beside the EPA condition class.

The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the readings sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest measured lake is Lake Johnson.

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Quick Answers for Wake County

Cleanest lakes in Wake County →Cleanest lakes in North Carolina →Best swimming lakes in North Carolina →

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Lake Johnson — or check the official North Carolina fishing regulations.

All Lakes in Wake County

18 lakes · 14 ranked on readings, 4 without enough sampling14 lakes ranked on readings · 4 without enough sampling, hidden

Include not-rated lakes (4)

#	Lake	Clarity	Phosphorus	Algae	Trophic	Max Depth	Access
1	Lake JohnsonWake	3 ft	40 µg/L	23 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
2	Lake RaleighWake	2.5 ft	45 µg/L	29.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
3	Harris LakeWake	2.5 ft	90 µg/L	43 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
4	Falls of the Neuse ReservoirWake	2.2 ft	40 µg/L	36 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
5	Lake WheelerWake	2.8 ft	50 µg/L	35 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
6	Lake CrabtreeWake	1.1 ft	85 µg/L	35 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
7	Sycamore LakeWake	2 ft	50 µg/L	32 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
8	Apex ReservoirWake	1.8 ft	50 µg/L	35.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
9	Big LakeWake	2.3 ft	50 µg/L	37 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
10	Bass LakeWake	2.5 ft	50 µg/L	31 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
11	Beaverdam LakeWake	2.5 ft	45 µg/L	33 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
12	Lake BensonWake	2.3 ft	50 µg/L	38 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
13	Reedy Creek LakeWake	2 ft	65 µg/L	32.5 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
14	Sunset LakeWake	1.8 ft	95 µg/L	72 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Wake Forest Reservoir @ DamWake	No recent samples	50 µg/L	41 µg/L	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	Falls Lake Bayleaf ChurchWake	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	Shearon Harris ReservoirWake	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	40 ft	✓ Public
	Brier Creek ReservoirWake	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded

NR = no nutrient or algae reading on record. The measurements are published as the authority reports them. Where the data comes from.

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Source: the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. See data sources.