Mill Creek Reservoir
Amherst County, Virginia194 acresView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Mill Creek Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- Public access
Mill Creek Reservoir in Amherst County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.5 µg/L. Surface area: 194 acres.
Mill Creek Reservoir is a 194-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Amherst County, Virginia. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Amherst County, Mill Creek Reservoir ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-07-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Mill Creek Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Mill Creek Reservoir 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 Mill Creek Reservoir
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Mill Creek Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 15.5 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 15.5µg/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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Mill Creek Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
194 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Virginia DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Mill Creek Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Mill Creek Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mill Creek Reservoir in Amherst 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Mill Creek Reservoir are listed below.
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Fishing Mill Creek Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2012–2026).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.5 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable0 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Mill Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Buffalo River Dam # 4a, built primarily for water supply on the Mill Creek; earth-type dam, 64 ft tall and 400 ft long.
- Surface area
- 194 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,934 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,184 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 8.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Amherst County Department of Public Works
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA009024 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Mill Creek Reservoir 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 VAW-H11L_MIN01A06 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Amherst County
Frequently asked questions about Mill Creek Reservoir
Where is Mill Creek Reservoir?
- Mill Creek Reservoir is a lake in Amherst County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mill Creek Reservoir?
- Mill Creek Reservoir in Amherst County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.5 µg/L. Surface area: 194 acres.
Is Mill Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Mill Creek Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Mill Creek Reservoir?
- Public access to Mill Creek Reservoir is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Mill Creek Reservoir across LakeQuality
3 documented falls within 12.8 mi, nearest Statons Creek Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Virginia's top lakes, each with its readings
Virginia's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Other Lakes in Virginia
Eutrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
61 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB61 samples · 2025–2026
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
- 446.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophylls and Pheopigments in Phytoplankton by Spectrophotometry
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