Watauga County Lake Quality
North Carolina, 4 lakes, measured by NC DEQ
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 recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. For Watauga County the spread behind the average matters more than the average itself: a few nutrient-rich lakes among many clear ones produce the same figure as the inverse.
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 Buckeye Lake.
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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 ranked on readings, 1 without enough sampling3 lakes ranked on readings · 1 without enough sampling, hidden
| # | Lake | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buckeye LakeWatauga | 7.5 ft | 30 µg/L | 3.9 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | Asu LakeWatauga | 12.3 ft | 30 µg/L | 5.2 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | Blowing Rock Town PondWatauga | 11.6 ft | 30 µg/L | 19.5 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| Price LakeWatauga | 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.