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

Wayne County Lake Quality

North Carolina, 8 lakes, average grade C (Fair)

Wayne County holds 8 monitored lakes. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. 1 of those lake carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. The county average is C — the middle of the rubric, with one or two lakes pulling the average up or down depending on year.

Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Cliffs of the Neuse Lake (C) is the cleanest in the county.

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All Lakes in Wayne County

8 lakes · 1 graded, 7 not rated1 graded lake · 7 not rated, hidden

#LakeGradeClarityPhosphorusAlgaeTrophicAccess
1CCliffs of the Neuse LakeWayneC7.9 ft50 µg/L10 µg/LNo recent samples✓ Public
NRSasser MillpondWayneNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRWayne Company Wildlife Club PondWayneNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRWilliams MillpondWayneNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRSleepy Creek Lake UpperWayneNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRBear Creek Lake W/S Lake Number SixWayneNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRWills PondWayneNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRBear Creek W/S Lake Number ThreeWayneNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot 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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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.