Merchants Millpond
Gates County, North Carolina760 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Merchants Millpond. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
Merchants Millpond in Gates County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 270 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.2 µg/L. Surface area: 760 acres.
Merchants Millpond is a 760-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Gates County, North Carolina. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2025-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Merchants Millpond 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 Merchants Millpond
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Merchants Millpond, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 270 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.2 µg/L. TSI 69.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 270µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.2µg/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. | 69 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Merchants Millpond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
760 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Merchants Millpond, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Merchants Millpond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Merchants Millpond in Gates 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 Merchants Millpond
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 →
Follow Merchants Millpond’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Merchants Millpond
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Improving-16 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.68 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Merchants Millpond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Merchants Millpond Dam, built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Benntees Creek; earth-type dam, 11 ft tall and 2,500 ft long.
- Surface area
- 760 ac
- Max storage
- 3,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 18.75 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC05680 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Gates County
Frequently asked questions about Merchants Millpond
Where is Merchants Millpond?
- Merchants Millpond is a lake in Gates 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 Merchants Millpond?
- Merchants Millpond in Gates County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 270 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.2 µg/L. Surface area: 760 acres.
Is Merchants Millpond safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Merchants Millpond across LakeQuality
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Eutrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
67 measurements from 2 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
21NC03WQ67 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- 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.