Motts Run Reservoir
Spotsylvania County, Virginia160 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- #2 of 7 in the county
- 35 ft max depth
- Public access
Motts Run Reservoir in Spotsylvania County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 160 acres.
- Clarity
- 10.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~35 ft est.
- Area
- 160 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 10 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 2.3 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Motts Run Reservoir’s letter
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Motts Run Reservoir is a 160-acre mesotrophic lake in Spotsylvania County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2022. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Spotsylvania County, Motts Run Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2022-10-20. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Motts Run Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.2 ft of visibility
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
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 A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Motts Run Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 40. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 10.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 40 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~35 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~18 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 160 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for Motts Run 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.
Recreation & Access
- Motts RunPublic
- Motts Run Recreation AreaSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Motts Run Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | -0.038 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | 0 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +0.19 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Motts Run Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Motts Run Reservoir Dam, built primarily for water supply on the Motts Run; earth-type dam, 97 ft tall and 715 ft long.
- Surface area
- 160 ac
- Normal storage
- 4,119 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 7,700 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 10.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- City of Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania County;City of Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania County;Mike Perry;Spotsylvania County
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Flood Risk Reduction.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA177004 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Motts Run Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAN-E19L_MOT01A02 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 7 lakes in Spotsylvania County
Nearby Lakes in Spotsylvania County
Frequently asked questions about Motts Run Reservoir
Where is Motts Run Reservoir?
- Motts Run Reservoir is a lake in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Motts Run Reservoir?
- Motts Run Reservoir in Spotsylvania County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 10.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 160 acres.
Is Motts Run Reservoir safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Motts Run Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Motts Run Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Motts Run Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 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 160 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Motts Run Reservoir?
- Motts Run Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Motts Run, Motts Run Recreation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Motts Run Reservoir across LakeQuality
More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Virginia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
247 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2013–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB247 samples · 2013–2022
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
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory