Burnett Reservoir
Buncombe County, North Carolina334 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Burnett Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 28 ft max depth
- Limited data
Burnett Reservoir in Buncombe County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.1 µg/L. Surface area: 334 acres.
Burnett Reservoir is a 334-acre mesotrophic lake in Buncombe County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 28 feet. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Buncombe County, Burnett Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2022-09-06. 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 Burnett Reservoir 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 Burnett Reservoir
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Burnett Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 4.1 µg/L. TSI 44.
| 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 | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Burnett Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~28 ft est.
Surface area
334 acres
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. North Carolina has not published bathymetry for Burnett Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
23 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,621 ft
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.
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Stays near Burnett Reservoir
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Top-rated places to stay near Burnett Reservoir
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Fishing Burnett Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Burnett Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the North Fork Reservoir Dam (completed 1954), built primarily for water supply on the N. Fork Swannanoa River; earth-type dam, 134 ft tall and 1,309 ft long.
- Surface area
- 334 ac
- Normal storage
- 17,600 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 21,700 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 21.94 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- City of Asheville Water Resources Department
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00288 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.99 km)
Nearby Lakes in Buncombe County
Frequently asked questions about Burnett Reservoir
Where is Burnett Reservoir?
- Burnett Reservoir is a lake in Buncombe 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 Burnett Reservoir?
- Burnett Reservoir in Buncombe County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.1 µg/L. Surface area: 334 acres.
Is Burnett Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Burnett Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Burnett Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 28 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 334 acres.
Explore Burnett Reservoir across LakeQuality
4 documented falls within 17.2 mi, nearest Glassmine Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at North Carolina's top lakes, each with its readings
North Carolina's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Blue Ridge?
Burnett Reservoir is about 11 miles from Blue Ridge Parkway. 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 Blue Ridge →More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
14 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 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
21NC03WQ14 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- 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.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)