Updated Aug 2026
Virginia Lake Water Quality
Water quality grades for 175 monitored lakes across 61 counties.
Virginia has 175 graded lakes in our dataset, sampled across 61 counties, drawing on monitoring by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality plus federal and volunteer measurements. About 29% of graded Virginia lakes earn an A. The bulk sit in the middle B–C range; 22% fall into D or F, almost all of those in counties where row-crop agriculture dominates the watershed.
Eutrophic conditions dominate — nutrient-loaded, productive, with algal pressure that shows up most years in late summer. These lakes tend to be shallow, agricultural-watershed, and over-warmed by the time July ends. The cleanest county on average is Louisa (grade A); the most-stressed is Virginia Beach city. The gap between the top and bottom counties is large enough that "Virginia lake water quality" hides real local variation.
Grade Distribution
All 175 Virginia lakes in the index: 139 (79.4%) carry an A–F grade and 36 (20.6%) are not rated, because they lack enough recent nutrient or algae sampling to support a letter.
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Top-Graded Virginia Lakes
The highest water-quality grades in Virginia — clarity, depth, and A-F grade at a glance.
Lake Map
Explore Virginia Lakes
Virginia reports, fishing & travel
Reservoirs in Virginia
View all 96 reservoirs →96 of 175 Virginia lakes (55%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 83 carry a High or Significant hazard rating. The oldest matched dam dates to 1908.
EPA-Impaired Lakes in Virginia
View all 123 impaired lakes →123 of 175 Virginia lakes (70%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 39 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.
Virginia Fishing & Recreation
Licenses, regulations, records, and where to fish across Virginia.
Counties
All 61 Virginia counties, ranked by average lake water quality. Compare them against every county nationwide in the county rankings, browse the full directory of graded lakes, or pick a different state.
Top 25 Cleanest Lakes
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMouth of Witcher Cr. Lake | Bedford | A | 11.2 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 2 | ALower Blackwater River Lake | Franklin | A | 12.1 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 3 | ADam Lake | Franklin | A | 12.1 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 4 | ADam Lake | Pittsylvania | A | 10.5 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 5 | ADam Lake | Alleghany | A | 12.1 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 6 | ASta B Lake | Mecklenburg | A | 7.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 7 | ANortheast Creek Reservoir | Louisa | A | 4.9 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 8 | AUnion Bridge Lake | Patrick | A | 8.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 9 | AHidden Valley Lake | Washington | A | 9.7 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 10 | AHunting Run Reservior Lake | Spotsylvania | A | 8.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 11 | AGoose Point Lake | Franklin | A | 10.2 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 12 | AMouth Craddock Cr. Lake | Bedford | A | 10.2 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 13 | AAbove Dam Lake | Albemarle | A | 13.1 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 14 | AAbove Dam Lake | Pulaski | A | 9.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 15 | ACool Branch Lake | Franklin | A | 10.5 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 16 | ALaurel Bed Lake | Russell | A | 9.8 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 17 | AConfl. Blackwater River Lake | Bedford | A | 9.8 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 18 | AMouth of Bull Run Lake | Franklin | A | 10.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 19 | ACarvins Cove Reservoir | Botetourt | A | 11.5 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 20 | ALake Frederick | Frederick | A | 9.8 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 21 | ABolar Mtn. Campground Lake | Bath | A | 9.2 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 22 | ALee Hall Reservoir | Newport News city | A | 4.8 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 23 | AMouth Big Lick Cr. Lake | Alleghany | A | 12.5 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 24 | AMotts Run Reservoir | Spotsylvania | A | 10.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 25 | AWise Lake | Wise | A | 10.5 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
25 Lakes Needing Attention
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FUpper Branch of Terry'S Run Lake | Spotsylvania | F | 0.7 ft |
| 2 | FSta Lake | Virginia Beach city | F | 1 ft |
| 3 | FSwift Creek Lake Sta | Chesterfield | F | 1.6 ft |
| 4 | FSpeights Run-Sta Lake | Suffolk city | F | 2.8 ft |
| 5 | FStation Lake | Virginia Beach city | F | 1.3 ft |
| 6 | FNear Dam Lake | Cumberland | F | 2.1 ft |
| 7 | DCohoke Millpond | King William | D | No recent samples |
| 8 | DBryants Pond | Sussex | D | No recent samples |
| 9 | DUt To Chk Lake | Hanover | D | No recent samples |
| 10 | DNorth Arm of Mill Creek Lake | Amherst | D | 3.6 ft |
| 11 | DMill Creek Reservoir | Amherst | D | 3.6 ft |
| 12 | DSmith Mountain Lake | Bedford | D | 3.9 ft |
| 13 | DNottoway Lake | Nottoway | D | 3.3 ft |
| 14 | DPowhatan Lake | Powhatan | D | 2.3 ft |
| 15 | DLake Orange | Orange | D | 3.9 ft |
| 16 | DLake Chesdin Sta | Chesterfield | D | 3 ft |
| 17 | DLake Chesdin Sta-Upper | Dinwiddie | D | 2 ft |
| 18 | DUpstream of Ivy Creek Lake | Albemarle | D | 4.3 ft |
| 19 | DFluvanna Ruritan Lake | Fluvanna | D | 3.3 ft |
| 20 | DBanister Lakesta | Halifax | D | 2 ft |
| 21 | DTotier Creek Reservoir | Albemarle | D | 3 ft |
| 22 | DKeysville Reservoir-Charlotte | Charlotte | D | 2.3 ft |
| 23 | DLake Chesdin | Chesterfield | D | 1.3 ft |
| 24 | DLake Culpeper | Culpeper | D | 2 ft |
| 25 | DMountain Run Lake | Culpeper | D | 2.6 ft |
Lake Match
Which lake suits how you actually use one?
Six questions — swimming, fishing, quiet, cabins, drive time — and a shortlist of graded lakes that fit, with the water quality behind each one.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys and the EPA Water Quality Portal.
More on lake water quality
The top-graded lake in every state we cover, picked grade-first with water clarity as the tie-breaker — plus the states whose winner is still not clean.
State-by-state Secchi champions: the clearest measured lake in each U.S. state we grade, which is not the same as the cleanest nutrient grade.
A data snapshot of the lakes we grade: how the A–F distribution breaks down, the clearest and the greenest states, and where the water is improving.
How lakes are graded A–F on nutrients and algae using EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each letter means in the water, and why an A is not a clearance.