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LakeQuality

Danw Lake

Dallas County, AlabamaView mapDirections

B
Good

Clarity, phosphorus, and algae sit in the clean band for this region.

↑ up from C at the last regrade

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
3.1 ft
Secchi · sampled 2026
Max depth
~87 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Declining
5 years of samples
  • Eutrophic
  • #1 of 2 in the county
  • 87 ft max depth
  • Public access

Danw Lake in Dallas County, Alabama has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 3.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.1 µg/L.

Clarity
3.1 ft
Max depth
~87 ft est.
Type
Eutrophic
Phosphorus
31 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
7.1 µg/L
Trend
Declining
Public access
Yes
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Watch Danw Lake’s letter

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Danw Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Dallas County, Alabama with an estimated average depth of about 87 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2026. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Dallas County, Danw Lake ranks #1 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEM, last sampled 2026-04-22. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Low 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 B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Get alerts for Danw Lake

Water Quality Grade: B (Good)

Very murky, less than 3.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.1 µg/L. TSI 55. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)3.1 ftNot graded
Phosphorus31 µg/LNot graded
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)7.1 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)55Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~87 ft est.
Average Depth~12 ft est.
Public AccessYes

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Alabama has not published bathymetry for Danw Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
17,024 sq mi
Surface area
242 acres
Shoreline
2.8 mi
Elevation
115 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.

Fishing Danw Lake

Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Declining-0.02 m/yr5
Phosphorus Stable-0.47 µg/L/yr5
Chlorophyll-a Declining+0.26 µg/L/yr5
See year-by-year chart →

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Danw Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hammermill Waste Treatment Dam (completed 1974), built primarily for other on the Tr-Alabama River; earth-type dam, 18 ft tall and 8,600 ft long.

Normal storage
1,344 ac-ft
Max storage
1,536 ac-ft
Hazard class
Low
Owner
HAMMERMILL PAPER CO INC

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AL01606 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.51 km)

County Ranking

Ranked #1 of 2 lakes in Dallas County

Nearby Lakes in Dallas County

Frequently asked questions about Danw Lake

Where is Danw Lake?

Danw Lake is a lake in Dallas County, Alabama. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Danw Lake?

Danw Lake in Dallas County, Alabama has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 3.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.1 µg/L.

Is Danw Lake safe to swim in?

The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Danw Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Danw Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 87 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Eutrophic Lakes in Alabama

Where this data comes from

138 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • ALABAMA DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - WATER QUALITY DATA21AWIC138 samples · 2013–2026

Analytical methods

  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
  • 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)