Lake Gaston
Mecklenburg County, VirginiaView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Gaston. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Public access
Lake Gaston in Mecklenburg County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.9 µg/L.
Lake Gaston is a mesotrophic lake in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Mecklenburg County, Lake Gaston ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-06-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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 Gaston is safe to swim in today is a call for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Gaston
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Lake Gaston, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.3 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.9 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.9µg/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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Fishing Lake Gaston
Nearby Lakes in Mecklenburg County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Gaston
Where is Lake Gaston?
- Lake Gaston is a lake in Mecklenburg County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Gaston?
- Lake Gaston in Mecklenburg County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.9 µg/L.
Is Lake Gaston safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Lake Gaston?
- Public access to Lake Gaston is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Virginia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Gaston across LakeQuality
More lakes in Virginia
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Prince Edward County · 3.9 ft
Prince Edward County · 4.3 ft
Amelia County · 3.9 ft
Buckingham County · 6.4 ft
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
1,029 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2012–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB993 samples · 2012–2026 - North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ36 samples · 2014–2024
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
- 446.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophylls and Pheopigments in Phytoplankton by Spectrophotometry
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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.