Lake Waccamaw
Columbus County, North CarolinaView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Waccamaw. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 152 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Waccamaw in Columbus County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L.
Lake Waccamaw is a mesotrophic lake in Columbus County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 152 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Columbus County, Lake Waccamaw ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2025-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Waccamaw has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Waccamaw on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Waccamaw is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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 Waccamaw 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 Waccamaw
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Lake Waccamaw, 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 3.6 µg/L. TSI 48.
| 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 | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.6µg/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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Waccamaw
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~152 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by NC DEQ
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 Waccamaw.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
125 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
8,708 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
14.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
39 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.
Recreation & Access
- Lake WaccamawPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Waccamaw
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Waccamaw 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Waccamaw
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.
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Fishing Lake Waccamaw
Nearby Lakes in Columbus County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Waccamaw
Where is Lake Waccamaw?
- Lake Waccamaw 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 Waccamaw?
- Lake Waccamaw in Columbus County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L.
Is Lake Waccamaw safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Waccamaw?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Waccamaw, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 152 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Waccamaw?
- Lake Waccamaw has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Waccamaw. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Waccamaw?
- Lake Waccamaw has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Carolina's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Waccamaw across LakeQuality
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
139 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ139 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory