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LakeQuality

Lake Tabor

Columbus County, North Carolina172 acresView mapDirections

NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Tabor. Here is what has been measured.

Phosphorus
80 µg/L
More phosphorus than most
Measured by NC DEQ
Chlorophyll-a
66 µg/L
More algae than most
Measured by NC DEQ
Area
172 acres
Surface area
Type
Hypereutrophic
Trophic class
  • Hypereutrophic
  • Limited data

Lake Tabor in Columbus County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 80 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 66 µg/L. Surface area: 172 acres.

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Lake Tabor is a 172-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Columbus County, North Carolina. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Columbus County, Lake Tabor ranks #2 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2021-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Lake Tabor covers about 170 acres in Columbus County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Tabor, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited 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 Tabor 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.

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Water quality measurements for Lake Tabor

These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Lake Tabor, 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 80 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 66 µg/L. TSI 70.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)No reading

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus80µg/LPoor
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)66µg/LPoor
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.70Hypereutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Ask about Lake Tabor

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Surface area

172 acres

No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Tabor, so its depth is not documented here.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Lake Tabor

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Tabor in Columbus 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 Tabor are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Lake Tabor

Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at North Carolina’s top lakes →

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Fishing Lake Tabor

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Lake Tabor is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Tabor Dam (completed 1999), built primarily for recreation on the Grissett Swamp; earth-type dam, 15 ft tall.

Surface area
172 ac
Normal storage
590 ac-ft
Max storage
1,700 ac-ft
Drainage area
10.28 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
Theresa W Johnson

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC01196 · Operator website

Nearby Lakes in Columbus County

Frequently asked questions about Lake Tabor

Where is Lake Tabor?

Lake Tabor is a lake in Columbus 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 Tabor?

Lake Tabor in Columbus County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 80 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 66 µg/L. Surface area: 172 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Lake Tabor safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

Hypereutrophic Lakes in North Carolina

Where this data comes from

30 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX21NC03WQ30 samples · 2021

Analytical methods

  • 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.