Chickahominy Reservoir
Charles City County, VirginiaView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Chickahominy Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
Chickahominy Reservoir in Charles City County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.4 µg/L.
Chickahominy Reservoir is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Charles City County, Virginia. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Charles City County, Chickahominy Reservoir ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2025-10-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. Chickahominy Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Chickahominy Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Chickahominy Reservoir
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Chickahominy Reservoir, 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 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 15.4 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 60µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 15.4µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Chickahominy Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Chickahominy Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Chickahominy Reservoir in Charles City County, Virginia — 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 Chickahominy Reservoir are listed below.
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Fishing Chickahominy Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2012–2026).
Water clarity
Stable7 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.43 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.1 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Chickahominy Reservoir 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: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAP-G07L_CHK01A00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Charles City County
Frequently asked questions about Chickahominy Reservoir
Where is Chickahominy Reservoir?
- Chickahominy Reservoir is a lake in Charles City County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Chickahominy Reservoir?
- Chickahominy Reservoir in Charles City County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.4 µg/L.
Is Chickahominy Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chickahominy Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
172 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB172 samples · 2012–2025
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)
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