Watauga County Lake Quality
North Carolina, 4 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
Watauga County has 4 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. 3 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Watauga 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 Buckeye Lake (C); the most-stressed is Blowing Rock Town Pond (D).
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Quick Answers for Watauga County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Buckeye Lake — or check the official North Carolina fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Watauga County
4 lakes · 3 graded, 1 not rated3 graded lakes · 1 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CBuckeye LakeWatauga | C | 7.5 ft | 30 µg/L | 3.9 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | CAsu LakeWatauga | C | 12.3 ft | 30 µg/L | 5.2 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | DBlowing Rock Town PondWatauga | D | 11.6 ft | 30 µg/L | 19.5 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| NRPrice LakeWatauga | 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.
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Other Counties in North Carolina
See how Watauga 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.