Carvins Cove Reservoir
Botetourt County, Virginia569 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Oligotrophic
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 51 ft max depth
Carvins Cove Reservoir in Botetourt County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.2 µg/L. Surface area: 568.8 acres.
- Clarity
- 11.5 ft
- Max depth
- ~51 ft est.
- Area
- 569 acres
- Type
- Oligotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 10 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 1.2 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Watch Carvins Cove Reservoir’s letter
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Carvins Cove Reservoir is a 569-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Botetourt County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 51 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-02. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Carvins Cove Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.5 ft of visibility
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
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 A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.2 µg/L. TSI 37. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 11.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.2 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 37 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~51 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~43 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 569 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for Carvins Cove Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Carvins Cove Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | +0.015 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -0.72 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | → Stable | 0 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Carvins Cove Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Carvin Cove Dam, built primarily for water supply on the Carvins Creek; masonry-type dam, 85 ft tall and 315 ft long.
- Surface area
- 568.8 ac
- Normal storage
- 20,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 23,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 17.67 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Western Virginia Water Authority
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA023001 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.05 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Botetourt County
Nearby Lakes in Botetourt County
Frequently asked questions about Carvins Cove Reservoir
Where is Carvins Cove Reservoir?
- Carvins Cove Reservoir is a lake in Botetourt County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Carvins Cove Reservoir?
- Carvins Cove Reservoir in Botetourt County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.2 µg/L. Surface area: 568.8 acres.
Is Carvins Cove Reservoir safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Carvins Cove Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Carvins Cove Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 51 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 568.8 acres.
Explore Carvins Cove Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Virginia's top lakes, each with its grade
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
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Where this data comes from
230 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB230 samples · 2012–2024
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
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)