Lake Wylie
York County, South Carolina12,177 acresView mapDirections
SCDHEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Wylie. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
Lake Wylie in York County, South Carolina has water-quality measurements published by SCDHEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17 µg/L. Surface area: 12177 acres.
Lake Wylie is a 12,177-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in York County, South Carolina. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in York County, Lake Wylie ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, SCDES, last sampled 2022-09-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Wylie is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water12,177 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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 Wylie is safe to swim in today is a call for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Wylie
These are the measurements SCDHEC publishes for Lake Wylie, 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 17 µg/L. TSI 56.
| 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 | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 17µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Wylie
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
12,177 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by SCDHEC
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Wylie, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Allison CreekPublic
- Buster BoydPublic
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 Wylie
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Wylie in York County, South 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 Wylie are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Wylie
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Fishing Lake Wylie
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Wylie is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wylie (completed 1925), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Catawba; gravity-type dam, 119 ft tall and 3,232 ft long.
- Surface area
- 12,177 ac
- Normal storage
- 229,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 246,435 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3,020 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Duke Energy
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID SC00687 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in York County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Wylie
Where is Lake Wylie?
- Lake Wylie is a lake in York County, South Carolina. Its water-quality measurements are published by SCDHEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Wylie?
- Lake Wylie in York County, South Carolina has water-quality measurements published by SCDHEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17 µg/L. Surface area: 12177 acres.
Is Lake Wylie safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Wylie?
- Lake Wylie has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Allison Creek, Buster Boyd. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Wylie?
- Lake Wylie has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by South Carolina's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Wylie across LakeQuality
More lakes in South Carolina
Eutrophic Lakes in South Carolina
Where this data comes from
119 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2012–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ119 samples · 2012–2022
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory