At Dam Lake Albemarle
Albemarle County, Virginia38 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- #6 of 8 in the county
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
At Dam Lake Albemarle in Albemarle County, Virginia has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24.1 µg/L. Surface area: 38 acres.
- Clarity
- 3.4 ft
- Max depth
- ~30 ft est.
- Area
- 38 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 30 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 24.1 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Stays near At Dam Lake Albemarle
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near At Dam Lake Albemarle in Albemarle County, Virginia — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around At Dam Lake Albemarle are listed below.
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At Dam Lake Albemarle is a 38-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Albemarle County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 30 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 2 sampling years through 2026. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Albemarle County, At Dam Lake Albemarle ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-06-30. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What At Dam Lake Albemarle is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
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 D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. At Dam Lake Albemarle is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Murky, only visible to about 3.4 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 24.1 µg/L. TSI 58. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.4 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 30 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 24.1 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 58 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~30 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~13 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 38 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for At Dam Lake Albemarle.
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.
Recreation & Access
- Lake AlbemarlePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing At Dam Lake Albemarle
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | +0.014 m/yr | 6 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | -0.57 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -2.52 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
At Dam Lake Albemarle is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Albemarle Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Spring Creek; earth-type dam, 32 ft tall and 200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 38 ac
- Normal storage
- 370 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 930 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA003126 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.03 km)
EPA Impairment Status
At Dam Lake Albemarle is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAV-H23L_SIN01A04 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.48 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #6 of 8 lakes in Albemarle County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
At Dam Lake Albemarle holds Grade D. 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 Albemarle County
Frequently asked questions about At Dam Lake Albemarle
Where is At Dam Lake Albemarle?
- At Dam Lake Albemarle is a lake in Albemarle County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for At Dam Lake Albemarle?
- At Dam Lake Albemarle in Albemarle County, Virginia has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24.1 µg/L. Surface area: 38 acres.
Is At Dam Lake Albemarle safe to swim in?
- The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. At Dam Lake Albemarle is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is At Dam Lake Albemarle?
- No published bathymetric survey covers At Dam Lake Albemarle, 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 38 acres.
Are there boat ramps on At Dam Lake Albemarle?
- At Dam Lake Albemarle has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Albemarle. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore At Dam Lake Albemarle across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Shenandoah?
At Dam Lake Albemarle is about 29 miles from Shenandoah National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Shenandoah →More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade D Lakes in Virginia
Eutrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
134 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB134 samples · 2013–2026
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
- 446.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophylls and Pheopigments in Phytoplankton by Spectrophotometry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory