Bessemer City Lake
Gaston County, North Carolina25 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Bessemer City Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Limited data
Bessemer City Lake in Gaston County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.1 µg/L. Surface area: 25 acres.
Bessemer City Lake is a 25-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Gaston County, North Carolina. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Gaston County, Bessemer City Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2022-09-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Bessemer City 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 Bessemer City Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Bessemer City 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 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.1 µg/L. TSI 49.
| 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 | 20µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.1µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Bessemer City Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
25 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Bessemer City Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bessemer City Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bessemer City Lake in Gaston County, North Carolina — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Bessemer City Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at North Carolina’s top lakes →
Follow Bessemer City Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Bessemer City Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bessemer City Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Arrowood Lake Dam (completed 1955), built primarily for water supply on the Long Creek; earth-type dam, 44 ft tall and 528 ft long.
- Surface area
- 25 ac
- Normal storage
- 259 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 440 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.89 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Town of Bessemer City
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC01205 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.07 km)
Nearby Lakes in Gaston County
Frequently asked questions about Bessemer City Lake
Where is Bessemer City Lake?
- Bessemer City Lake is a lake in Gaston 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 Bessemer City Lake?
- Bessemer City Lake in Gaston County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.1 µg/L. Surface area: 25 acres.
Is Bessemer City Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Bessemer City Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Eutrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ13 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
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.