Lake Summit
Henderson County, North Carolina290 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Summit. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 12 ft max depth
- Limited data
Ask about Lake Summit
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Summit in Henderson County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.3 µg/L. Surface area: 290 acres.
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Stays near Lake Summit
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Summit in Henderson 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Lake Summit are listed below.
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Lake Summit is a 290-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Henderson County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 12 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2025-09-29. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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 Summit 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 Summit
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Lake Summit, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft. Phosphorus 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.3 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 7.2 ft | Measured, not scored |
| Phosphorus | 50 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.3 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 53 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~12 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 290 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 Summit.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Lake Summit
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Summit is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Tuxedo Hydroelectric Dam (completed 1920), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Green River; concrete-type dam, 129 ft tall and 254 ft long.
- Surface area
- 290 ac
- Max storage
- 15,840 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 42.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Northbrook Tuxedo, LLC
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00311 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Henderson County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Summit
Where is Lake Summit?
- Lake Summit is a lake in Henderson 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 Summit?
- Lake Summit in Henderson County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.3 µg/L. Surface area: 290 acres.
Is Lake Summit safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Summit?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Summit, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 12 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 290 acres.
Explore Lake Summit across LakeQuality
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Planning a trip around Blue Ridge?
Lake Summit is about 24 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
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Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ40 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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)