Beech Fork Lake
Wayne County, West Virginia720 acresView mapDirections
WVDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Beech Fork Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
Beech Fork Lake in Wayne County, West Virginia has water-quality measurements published by WVDEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.1 µg/L. Surface area: 720 acres.
Beech Fork Lake is a 720-acre lake in Wayne County, West Virginia. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2021-09-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Beech Fork Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Beech Fork Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Beech Fork Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Beech Fork Lake
These are the measurements WVDEP publishes for Beech Fork Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 16.1 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 35µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 16.1µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Beech Fork Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
720 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by WVDEP
No bathymetric survey has been published for Beech Fork Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Beech Fork LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Beech Fork Lake
- Beech Fork Shelters1.0 kmReserve
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
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Stays near Beech Fork Lake
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Fishing Beech Fork Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Beech Fork Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Beech Fork Dam (completed 1976), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Beech Fork of Twelve Pole Ck.; earth-type dam, 86 ft tall and 1,080 ft long.
- Surface area
- 720 ac
- Normal storage
- 9,180 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 37,540 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 78 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Huntington District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WV09903 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Beech Fork Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WV-OT-L5-270_a · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Wayne County
Frequently asked questions about Beech Fork Lake
Where is Beech Fork Lake?
- Beech Fork Lake is a lake in Wayne County, West Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by WVDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Beech Fork Lake?
- Beech Fork Lake in Wayne County, West Virginia has water-quality measurements published by WVDEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.1 µg/L. Surface area: 720 acres.
Is Beech Fork Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Beech Fork Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Beech Fork Lake?
- Beech Fork Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Beech Fork Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Beech Fork Lake?
- Beech Fork Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by West Virginia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Beech Fork Lake?
- Beech Fork Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Beech Fork Shelters. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Beech Fork Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection-Division of Water & Waste Management-Watershed Assessment Branch
WVDEP_WQX8 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 446.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophylls and Pheopigments in Phytoplankton by Spectrophotometry
- Nitrogen Total Calculation
- Multiparameter Sonde
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles