Catawba Riv Lake
Mecklenburg County, North CarolinaView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Catawba Riv Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · PCBs
- Public access
Catawba Riv Lake in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L.
Catawba Riv Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Mecklenburg County, Catawba Riv Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-02-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Catawba Riv Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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. Catawba Riv Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Catawba Riv 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 Catawba Riv Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Catawba Riv Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.3µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Catawba Riv Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- Mt Holly Boat LandingPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Catawba Riv Lake
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Fishing Catawba Riv Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-10 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.95 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Catawba Riv Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NC11-(117) · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Mecklenburg County
Frequently asked questions about Catawba Riv Lake
Where is Catawba Riv Lake?
- Catawba Riv Lake is a lake in Mecklenburg 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 Catawba Riv Lake?
- Catawba Riv Lake in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L.
Is Catawba Riv Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Catawba Riv Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Catawba Riv Lake?
- Catawba Riv Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Mt Holly Boat Landing. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Catawba Riv Lake?
- Catawba Riv Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
Explore Catawba Riv Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
89 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ89 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- 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.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory