Holston River Lake
Hawkins County, TennesseeView mapDirections
TDEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Holston River Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 102 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Holston River Lake in Hawkins County, Tennessee has water-quality measurements published by TDEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 64.5 µg/L.
Holston River Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hawkins County, Tennessee with an estimated average depth of about 102 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 8 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Hawkins County, Holston River Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TDEC, last sampled 2025-06-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Holston River Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch8 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Holston River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Holston River Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Holston River Lake
These are the measurements TDEC publishes for Holston River Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 64.5 µg/L. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 64.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 64 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Holston River Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~102 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by TDEC
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Tennessee has not published bathymetry for Holston River Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3,422 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
17,569 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
177 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,040 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
- QuarryvillePublic
- John Sevier SteamplantPublic
- Caney CreekPublic
- Melinda FerryPublic
- Beech Creek (Northeast)Public
- Beech Creek (Southwest)Public
Showing 6 of 8 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 Holston River Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Holston River Lake in Hawkins County, Tennessee — 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Holston River Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Holston River Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Holston River Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2024–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Improving-10.7 µg/L/yr2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Holston River Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit TN06010104004_2000 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Hawkins County
Frequently asked questions about Holston River Lake
Where is Holston River Lake?
- Holston River Lake is a lake in Hawkins County, Tennessee. Its water-quality measurements are published by TDEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Holston River Lake?
- Holston River Lake in Hawkins County, Tennessee has water-quality measurements published by TDEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 64.5 µg/L.
Is Holston River Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Holston River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Holston River Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Holston River Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 102 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Holston River Lake?
- Holston River Lake has 8 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Quarryville, John Sevier Steamplant, Caney Creek, Melinda Ferry, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Holston River Lake?
- Holston River Lake has 8 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Tennessee's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
11 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- TDEC Division of Water Resources
TDECWR_WQX11 samples · 2024–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory