Wake County Lake Quality

North Carolina, 14 lakes, average grade D (Poor)

Wake County has 14 graded 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. On average, Wake 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 Raleigh (C); the most-stressed is Harris Lake (F).

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Quick Answers for Wake County

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

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

All Lakes in Wake County

Rank	Lake	Grade	Clarity	Phosphorus
1	Lake Raleigh	C	-	35 µg/L
2	Lake Johnson	C	-	30 µg/L
3	Bass Lake	C	-	45 µg/L
4	Falls Lake Bayleaf Church	C	-	30 µg/L
5	Lake Wheeler	D	-	40 µg/L
6	Beaverdam Lake	D	-	40 µg/L
7	Lake Benson	D	-	50 µg/L
8	Apex Reservoir	D	-	45 µg/L
9	Falls of the Neuse Reservoir	D	2.1 ft	40 µg/L
10	Big Lake	D	-	65 µg/L
11	Sycamore Lake	D	-	60 µg/L
12	Harris Lake	F	2.5 ft	90 µg/L
13	Reedy Creek Lake	F	-	90 µg/L
14	Lake Crabtree	F	-	100 µg/L