Dam Lake
Pittsylvania County, Virginia20,400 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · PCBs
- #1 of 3 in the county
Dam Lake in Pittsylvania County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L. Surface area: 20400 acres.
- Clarity
- 10.5 ft
- Area
- 20,400 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 10 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 2 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Watch Dam Lake’s letter
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Dam Lake is a 20,400-acre mesotrophic lake in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2026. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Pittsylvania County, Dam Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-06-10. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Dam Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.5 ft of visibility
- Big water20,400 acres
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. Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2 µg/L. TSI 39. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 10.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 39 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 20,400 acres |
No bathymetric survey has been published for Dam Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Fishing Dam Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 15 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | -0.014 m/yr | 15 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -0.37 µg/L/yr | 15 |
| Chlorophyll-a | → Stable | +0.02 µg/L/yr | 15 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Smith Mountain Combination Pump Storage (completed 1964), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Roanoke; arch-type dam, 237 ft tall and 816 ft long.
- Surface area
- 20,400 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,150,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,150,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,024 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Appalachian Power Company
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA019002 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.61 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Dam Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAW-L12L_XNW01A10 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.84 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 3 lakes in Pittsylvania County
Nearby Lakes in Pittsylvania County
Frequently asked questions about Dam Lake
Where is Dam Lake?
- Dam Lake is a lake in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Dam Lake?
- Dam Lake in Pittsylvania County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 10.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L. Surface area: 20400 acres.
Is Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Dam Lake across LakeQuality
More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Virginia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
691 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB691 samples · 2012–2026
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
- 446.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophylls and Pheopigments in Phytoplankton by Spectrophotometry
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database