Hiwassee Reservoir
Cherokee County, North Carolina5,870 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Hiwassee Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 75 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Hiwassee Reservoir in Cherokee County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.6 µg/L. Surface area: 5870 acres.
Hiwassee Reservoir is a 5,870-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Cherokee County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 75 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 7 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Cherokee County, Hiwassee Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-11-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 5,900 acres, Hiwassee Reservoir is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 7 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Hiwassee Reservoir on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Hiwassee Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Boat launch7 documented ramps
- Big water5,870 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Hiwassee Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Hiwassee Reservoir
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Hiwassee Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.6 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.6µg/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. | 49 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Hiwassee Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~75 ft est.
Surface area
5,870 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NC DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. North Carolina has not published bathymetry for Hiwassee Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
981 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
63.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,476 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.
Recreation & Access
- ApalachiaPublic
- Grape CreekPublic
- Hanging DogPublic
- Ramsey BluffPublic
- Hiwassee Street Boat RampPublic
- Payne Street Boat RampPublic
Showing 6 of 7 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hiwassee Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hiwassee Reservoir in Cherokee County, North Carolina — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Hiwassee Reservoir
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Hiwassee Reservoir → · more North Carolina lake trips
Follow Hiwassee Reservoir’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Hiwassee Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hiwassee Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hiwassee Dam (completed 1940), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Hiwassee River; concrete-type dam, 307 ft tall and 1,376 ft long.
- Surface area
- 5,870 ac
- Normal storage
- 398,583 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 471,954 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 968 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- TVA
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Navigation;Recreation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00419 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Cherokee County
Frequently asked questions about Hiwassee Reservoir
Where is Hiwassee Reservoir?
- Hiwassee Reservoir is a lake in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Its water-quality measurements are published by NC DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hiwassee Reservoir?
- Hiwassee Reservoir in Cherokee County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.6 µg/L. Surface area: 5870 acres.
Is Hiwassee Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Hiwassee Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hiwassee Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 75 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 5870 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Hiwassee Reservoir?
- Hiwassee Reservoir has 7 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Apalachia, Grape Creek, Hanging Dog, Ramsey Bluff, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Hiwassee Reservoir?
- Hiwassee Reservoir has 7 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Carolina's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Hiwassee Reservoir across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 17.7 mi, nearest Bald River Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at North Carolina's top lakes, each with its readings
North Carolina's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Eutrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
95 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ95 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (5)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory