Apalachia Lake
Cherokee County, North Carolina1,100 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Apalachia Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Apalachia Lake in Cherokee County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.4 µg/L. Surface area: 1100 acres.
Apalachia Lake is a 1,100-acre mesotrophic lake in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Cherokee County, Apalachia Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-11-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Apalachia Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.1 ft of visibility
- Big water1,100 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Apalachia Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Apalachia Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Apalachia Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.1 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.4 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.4µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Apalachia Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
1,100 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Apalachia Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Apalachia Lake
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Fishing Apalachia Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Apalachia Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Apalachia Dam (completed 1943), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Hiwassee River; concrete-type dam, 150 ft tall and 1,308 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,100 ac
- Normal storage
- 55,524 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 63,456 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,018 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- TVA
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00181 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Cherokee County
Frequently asked questions about Apalachia Lake
Where is Apalachia Lake?
- Apalachia Lake is a lake in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Its water-quality measurements are published by NC DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Apalachia Lake?
- Apalachia Lake in Cherokee County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.4 µg/L. Surface area: 1100 acres.
Is Apalachia Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Apalachia Lake across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 11.8 mi, nearest Conasauga Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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North Carolina's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
57 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ57 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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.