Lake Cheoah
Graham County, North Carolina1,767 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Cheoah. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Limited data
Lake Cheoah in Graham County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1 µg/L. Surface area: 1767 acres.
Lake Cheoah is a 1,767-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Graham County, North Carolina. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Graham County, Lake Cheoah ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-11-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Cheoah is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.6 ft of visibility
- Big water1,767 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 Lake Cheoah 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 Lake Cheoah
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Lake Cheoah, 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 14.6 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.6ft | 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) | 1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 41 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Lake Cheoah
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
1,767 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Cheoah, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Cheoah
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Cheoah in Graham 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 Lake Cheoah
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at North Carolina’s top lakes →
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Fishing Lake Cheoah
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Cheoah is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Cheoah (completed 1919), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Little Tennessee; gravity-type dam, 236 ft tall and 750 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,767 ac
- Normal storage
- 35,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 42,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,608 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Brookfield Renewable Energy Group (ARO)
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00393 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Graham County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Cheoah
Where is Lake Cheoah?
- Lake Cheoah is a lake in Graham 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 Lake Cheoah?
- Lake Cheoah in Graham County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1 µg/L. Surface area: 1767 acres.
Is Lake Cheoah safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Lake Cheoah across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 22.3 mi, nearest Abrams 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
Planning a trip around Great Smoky Mountains?
Lake Cheoah is about 23 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Great Smoky Mountains →More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Oligotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
60 measurements from 3 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
21NC03WQ60 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 (3)
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.