Above Dam Lake
Pulaski County, Virginia168 acresView mapDirections
This is the name Virginia DEQ records for this water. It can describe one sampling location rather than the water as a whole.
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Above Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
Above Dam Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 167.8 acres.
Above Dam Lake is a 168-acre mesotrophic lake in Pulaski County, Virginia. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 9 other monitored lakes in Pulaski County, Above Dam Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Above Dam Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Above Dam Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Above Dam Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.2 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 40 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Above Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
168 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Above Dam Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Above Dam Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening7 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.04 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.05 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Above Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gatewood Dam, built primarily for water supply on the Peak Creek; gravity-type dam, 57 ft tall and 408 ft long.
- Surface area
- 167.8 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,944 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,630 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 15.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Town of Pulaski
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA155009 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.05 km)
Nearby Lakes in Pulaski County
Frequently asked questions about Above Dam Lake
Where is Above Dam Lake?
- Above Dam Lake is in Pulaski County, Virginia. This is the name Virginia DEQ records for this water. It can describe one sampling location rather than the water as a whole. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Above Dam Lake?
- Above Dam Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 167.8 acres.
Is Above Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Above Dam Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Virginia
Other Lakes in Virginia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
188 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB188 samples · 2013–2024
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 (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.