Lake Julian
Buncombe County, North Carolina470 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Julian. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 26 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lake Julian in Buncombe County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.5 µg/L. Surface area: 470 acres.
Lake Julian is a 470-acre mesotrophic lake in Buncombe County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 26 feet. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Buncombe County, Lake Julian ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2022-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Julian covers about 470 acres in Buncombe County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Julian on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
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 Julian 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 Julian
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Lake Julian, 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 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.5 µg/L. TSI 46.
| 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 | 30µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.5µg/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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Julian
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~26 ft est.
Surface area
470 acres
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 Lake Julian.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,178 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Julian
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Julian in Buncombe 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 Julian
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at North Carolina’s top lakes →
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Fishing Lake Julian
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Julian is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Julian Dam (completed 1962), built primarily for hydroelectric on the UT to French Broad River; earth-type dam, 106 ft tall and 1,000 ft long.
- Surface area
- 470 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,454 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 8,819 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.81 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Duke Energy Corporation
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC05712 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Buncombe County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Julian
Where is Lake Julian?
- Lake Julian is a lake in Buncombe 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 Julian?
- Lake Julian in Buncombe County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.5 µg/L. Surface area: 470 acres.
Is Lake Julian safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Julian?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Julian, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 26 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 470 acres.
Explore Lake Julian across LakeQuality
4 documented falls within 19.7 mi, nearest Hickory Nut 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 Blue Ridge?
Lake Julian is about 7 miles from Blue Ridge Parkway. 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 Blue Ridge →More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
24 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ24 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- 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.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)