Chatham Lake
Jackson Parish County, Louisiana175 acresView mapDirections
LDEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Chatham Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
- Public access
Chatham Lake in Jackson Parish County, Louisiana has water-quality measurements published by LDEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 57 µg/L. Surface area: 175 acres.
Chatham Lake is a 175-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Jackson Parish County, Louisiana. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Jackson Parish County, Chatham Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2024-10-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Chatham 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. Chatham Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Chatham Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Chatham Lake
These are the measurements LDEQ publishes for Chatham Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 57 µg/L. TSI 62.
| 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 | 57µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Chatham Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
175 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by LDEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Chatham Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Chatham Public Boat RampPublic
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 Chatham Lake
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Fishing Chatham Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Chatham Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Chatham Lake Dam (completed 1940), built primarily for recreation on the Edwards Branch To Castor Creek; earth-type dam, 19 ft tall and 1,780 ft long.
- Surface area
- 175 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,450 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,975 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 19 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Jackson Parish Watershed Commission
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID LA00008 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Chatham Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit LA081502_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Jackson Parish County
Frequently asked questions about Chatham Lake
Where is Chatham Lake?
- Chatham Lake is a lake in Jackson Parish County, Louisiana. Its water-quality measurements are published by LDEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Chatham Lake?
- Chatham Lake in Jackson Parish County, Louisiana has water-quality measurements published by LDEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 57 µg/L. Surface area: 175 acres.
Is Chatham Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chatham Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Chatham Lake?
- Chatham Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chatham Public Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Chatham Lake?
- Chatham 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 Louisiana's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Chatham Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- LDEQ/Water Planning and Assessment (Louisiana)
LADEQWPD_WQX40 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 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