Little River Reservoir
Durham County, North Carolina550 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run well above the regional average.
↓ down from D at the last regrade
- Hypereutrophic
- #1 of 2 in the county
- 46 ft max depth
Little River Reservoir in Durham County, North Carolina has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 3.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31 µg/L. Surface area: 550 acres.
- Clarity
- 3.1 ft
- Max depth
- ~46 ft est.
- Area
- 550 acres
- Type
- Hypereutrophic
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Stays near Little River Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Little River Reservoir in Durham 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Little River Reservoir are listed below.
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Little River Reservoir is a 550-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Durham County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Durham County, Little River Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2025-09-25. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Little River Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: F (Algae-prone)
Very murky, less than 3.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 31 µg/L. TSI 62. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.1 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 50 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 31 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 62 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~46 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~18 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 550 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 Little River Reservoir.
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 Little River Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | -0.015 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +3.84 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +5.92 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Little River Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Little River Dam (completed 1984), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Little River; earth-type dam, 95 ft tall and 1,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 550 ac
- Normal storage
- 8,300 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 18,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 97 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- City of Durham Department of Water Management
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC05143 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Little River Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit NC27-2-21-(3.5) · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (2.54 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 2 lakes in Durham County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Little River Reservoir holds Grade F. 3 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
See full comparison →Nearby Lakes in Durham County
Frequently asked questions about Little River Reservoir
Where is Little River Reservoir?
- Little River Reservoir is a lake in Durham County, North Carolina. LakeQuality grades it F for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Little River Reservoir?
- Little River Reservoir in Durham County, North Carolina has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 3.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31 µg/L. Surface area: 550 acres.
Is Little River Reservoir safe to swim in?
- The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Little River Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Little River Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Little River Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 46 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 550 acres.
Explore Little River Reservoir across LakeQuality
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
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Where this data comes from
229 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS North Carolina Water Science Center
USGS-NC118 samples · 2020–2024 - North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ111 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Pigments, algae, EPA445.0 w/ACTN
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
- HACH 2100Q, NTRU
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)