Fluvanna Ruritan Lake
Fluvanna County, Virginia60 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.
↓ down from C at the last regrade
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 37 ft max depth
- Public access
Fluvanna Ruritan Lake in Fluvanna County, Virginia has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 30 µg/L. Surface area: 60 acres.
- Clarity
- 3.3 ft
- Max depth
- ~37 ft est.
- Area
- 60 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 40 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 30 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Fluvanna Ruritan Lake’s letter
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Fluvanna Ruritan Lake is a 60-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Fluvanna County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 37 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 2 sampling years through 2022. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2022-10-27. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
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 D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Fluvanna Ruritan Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 30 µg/L. TSI 60. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 40 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 30 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 60 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~37 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~14 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 60 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for Fluvanna Ruritan Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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 Fluvanna Ruritan Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | +0.009 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | -0.73 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -3.35 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Fluvanna Ruritan Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Fluvanna Ruritan Dam, built primarily for recreation; earth-type dam, 43 ft tall and 790 ft long.
- Surface area
- 60 ac
- Normal storage
- 890 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.86 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR)
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA065002 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Fluvanna Ruritan Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAV-H32L_00 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Fluvanna County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Fluvanna Ruritan Lake holds Grade D. 3 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
See full comparison →Nearby Lakes in Fluvanna County
Frequently asked questions about Fluvanna Ruritan Lake
Where is Fluvanna Ruritan Lake?
- Fluvanna Ruritan Lake is a lake in Fluvanna County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Fluvanna Ruritan Lake?
- Fluvanna Ruritan Lake in Fluvanna County, Virginia has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 30 µg/L. Surface area: 60 acres.
Is Fluvanna Ruritan Lake safe to swim in?
- The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Fluvanna Ruritan Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Fluvanna Ruritan Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Fluvanna Ruritan Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 37 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 60 acres.
Explore Fluvanna Ruritan Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
133 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB133 samples · 2015–2022
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
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)