Dam Lake
Pulaski County, Virginia12 acresView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Public access
Dam Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.4 µg/L. Surface area: 11.59 acres.
Dam Lake is a 12-acre mesotrophic lake in Pulaski County, Virginia. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 9 other monitored lakes in Pulaski County, Dam Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-07-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Dam Lake 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 Dam Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Dam Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.4 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.5ft | 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) | 6.4µg/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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
12 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Virginia DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Dam Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Stays near Dam Lake
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Fishing Dam Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 15 years of monitoring (2012–2026).
Water clarity
Stable15 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.55 µg/L/yr15 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.26 µg/L/yr15 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Claytor Lake Quarry, built primarily for other, 163 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 11.59 ac
- Max storage
- 813.8 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.04 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Undetermined
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA155008 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.2 km)
Nearby Lakes in Pulaski County
Frequently asked questions about Dam Lake
Where is Dam Lake?
- Dam Lake is a lake in Pulaski County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Dam Lake?
- Dam Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.4 µg/L. Surface area: 11.59 acres.
Is Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Dam Lake?
- Public access to Dam Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Virginia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Dam Lake across LakeQuality
20.2 mi away · 69 ft
14.9 mi away · recorded at 85°F
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Virginia's top lakes, each with its readings
Virginia's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Other Lakes in Virginia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
767 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2012–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB767 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
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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.