Buckhorn Dam Lake
Chatham County, North CarolinaView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Buckhorn Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Buckhorn Dam Lake in Chatham County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 100 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31 µg/L.
Buckhorn Dam Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Chatham County, North Carolina. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Chatham County, Buckhorn Dam Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2023-09-05. 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 Buckhorn Dam 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 Buckhorn Dam Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Buckhorn Dam Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 100 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 31 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 100µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 31µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 67 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Buckhorn Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Stays near Buckhorn Dam Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Buckhorn Dam Lake in Chatham 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Buckhorn Dam Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Buckhorn Dam Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Buckhorn Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Buckhorn Lake Dam (completed 1915), built primarily for other on the Cape Fear River; earth-type dam, 31 ft tall and 1,550 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 1,760 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3,200 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Duke Energy Corporation
All listed purposes: Other;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00752 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Chatham County
Frequently asked questions about Buckhorn Dam Lake
Where is Buckhorn Dam Lake?
- Buckhorn Dam Lake is a lake in Chatham 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 Buckhorn Dam Lake?
- Buckhorn Dam Lake in Chatham County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 100 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31 µg/L.
Is Buckhorn Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Buckhorn Dam Lake?
- Public access to Buckhorn Dam Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Carolina's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
48 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ48 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
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.