Abel Lake
Stafford County, Virginia185 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
↓ down from B at the last regrade
- Eutrophic
- #5 of 5 in the county
- 30 ft max depth
Abel Lake in Stafford County, Virginia has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.4 µg/L. Surface area: 185 acres.
- Clarity
- 5.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~30 ft est.
- Area
- 185 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 20 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 7.4 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Watch Abel Lake’s letter
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Abel Lake is a 185-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Stafford County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 30 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Stafford County, Abel Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-24. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyModerate
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.4 µg/L. TSI 50. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.4 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 50 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~30 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~14 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 185 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for Abel Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fishing Abel Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.054 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -1 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.65 µg/L/yr | 4 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Abel Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Potomac Creek Dam #1, built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Potomac Creek; earth-type dam, 94 ft tall and 935 ft long.
- Surface area
- 185 ac
- Normal storage
- 4,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 11,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 30.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Stafford Co. Board of Supervisors
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA179002 · Operator website
County Ranking
Ranked #5 of 5 lakes in Stafford County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Abel Lake holds Grade C. 3 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
See full comparison →Nearby Lakes in Stafford County
Frequently asked questions about Abel Lake
Where is Abel Lake?
- Abel Lake is a lake in Stafford County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Abel Lake?
- Abel Lake in Stafford County, Virginia has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.4 µg/L. Surface area: 185 acres.
Is Abel Lake safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Abel Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Abel Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 30 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 185 acres.
Explore Abel Lake across LakeQuality
More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade C Lakes in Virginia
Eutrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
210 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2016–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB210 samples · 2016–2024
Analytical methods
- Tyler, John. 1968. The secchi disk, Limnology and Oceanograpy, 13(1):1-6.
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)