Amherst County Lake Quality
Virginia, 8 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
Amherst 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. 5 of those lakes 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. Pedlar River Reservoir (A) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Amherst County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Pedlar River Reservoir — or check the official Virginia fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Amherst County
8 lakes · 5 graded, 3 not rated5 graded lakes · 3 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | APedlar River ReservoirAmherst | A | 7.5 ft | 10 µg/L | 5.5 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | CNortheast Arm of Mill Creek LakeAmherst | C | 4.1 ft | 20 µg/L | 11.5 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | DMill Cr ReservoirAmherst | D | 3.6 ft | 20 µg/L | 18.7 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 4 | DMill Creek ReservoirAmherst | D | 3.6 ft | 20 µg/L | 15.5 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 5 | DNorth Arm of Mill Creek LakeAmherst | D | 3.6 ft | 20 µg/L | 14.1 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| NRThrasher LakeAmherst | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRElon Water Works ReservoirAmherst | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NREarly LakeAmherst | 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 Virginia
See how Amherst 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, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.