Laurel Bed Lake
Russell County, Virginia395 acresView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Laurel Bed Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Temperature
- Public access
Laurel Bed Lake in Russell County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 395 acres.
Laurel Bed Lake is a 395-acre mesotrophic lake in Russell County, Virginia. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Russell County, Laurel Bed Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Laurel Bed Lake covers about 400 acres in Russell County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Laurel Bed Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Laurel Bed Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water9.8 ft of visibility
- 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. Laurel Bed Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Laurel Bed Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Laurel Bed Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Laurel Bed Lake, 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 9.8 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.8 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.8µg/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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Laurel Bed Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
395 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Virginia DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Laurel Bed Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Laurel Bed LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Laurel Bed Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Laurel Bed Lake in Russell County, Virginia — 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 Laurel Bed Lake
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Fishing Laurel Bed Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.07 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.07 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Laurel Bed Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Laurel Bed Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Laurel Bed Creek; earth-type dam, 48 ft tall and 275 ft long.
- Surface area
- 395 ac
- Normal storage
- 4,900 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 8,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.18 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR)
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA167001 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Laurel Bed Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAS-O11L_LAU01A02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Russell County
Frequently asked questions about Laurel Bed Lake
Where is Laurel Bed Lake?
- Laurel Bed Lake is a lake in Russell County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Laurel Bed Lake?
- Laurel Bed Lake in Russell County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 395 acres.
Is Laurel Bed Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Laurel Bed Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Laurel Bed Lake?
- Laurel Bed Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Laurel Bed Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Laurel Bed Lake?
- Laurel Bed Lake 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 Virginia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Laurel Bed Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
111 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB111 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Tyler, John. 1968. The secchi disk, Limnology and Oceanograpy, 13(1):1-6.
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory