Briery Creek Lake Sta
Prince Edward County, Virginia810 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- #2 of 6 in the county
- Public access
Briery Creek Lake Sta in Prince Edward County, Virginia has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L. Surface area: 810 acres.
- Clarity
- 4.3 ft
- Area
- 810 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 20 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 8.5 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Briery Creek Lake Sta
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Briery Creek Lake Sta in Prince Edward 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Briery Creek Lake Sta
Prices for Sep 11–13, 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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Briery Creek Lake Sta → · more Virginia lake trips
Watch Briery Creek Lake Sta’s letter
Email me if this lake’s grade moves. Grades stay free.
Or email
Briery Creek Lake Sta is a 810-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2026. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Prince Edward County, Briery Creek Lake Sta ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-06-29. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Briery Creek Lake Sta is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyModerate
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 C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Briery Creek Lake Sta is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)
Murky, only visible to about 4.3 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.5 µg/L. TSI 52. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 4.3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 8.5 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 52 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 810 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
No bathymetric survey has been published for Briery Creek Lake Sta, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Briery CreekPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Briery Creek Lake Sta
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 7 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | -0.011 m/yr | 7 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | -0.21 µg/L/yr | 6 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +0.29 µg/L/yr | 6 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Briery Creek Lake Sta is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Briery Creek Lake Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Briery Creek - VAHU6 JA10 Briery Creek; earth-type dam, 64 ft tall and 920 ft long.
- Surface area
- 810 ac
- Normal storage
- 636 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 21,378 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 24.8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
All listed purposes: Recreation;Flood Risk Reduction.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA147037 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.37 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Briery Creek Lake Sta 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 VAP-J05L_BRI01L98 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (2.54 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 6 lakes in Prince Edward County
Nearby Lakes in Prince Edward County
Frequently asked questions about Briery Creek Lake Sta
Where is Briery Creek Lake Sta?
- Briery Creek Lake Sta is a lake in Prince Edward County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Briery Creek Lake Sta?
- Briery Creek Lake Sta in Prince Edward County, Virginia has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.5 µg/L. Surface area: 810 acres.
Is Briery Creek Lake Sta safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Briery Creek Lake Sta is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Briery Creek Lake Sta?
- Briery Creek Lake Sta has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Briery Creek. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Briery Creek Lake Sta across LakeQuality
More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade C Lakes in Virginia
Eutrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
173 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
21VASWCB173 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory