Ncht Lake
Tuscaloosa County, AlabamaView mapDirections
ADEM publishes the water-quality measurements for Ncht Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 38 ft max depth
- Limited data
Ncht Lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama has water-quality measurements published by ADEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.3 µg/L.
Ncht Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama with an estimated average depth of about 38 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Tuscaloosa County, Ncht Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEM, last sampled 2024-10-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Ncht Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Ncht Lake
These are the measurements ADEM publishes for Ncht Lake, 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 5.3 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.3 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.3µg/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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Ncht Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~38 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Alabama has not published bathymetry for Ncht Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
25 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
247 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
318 ft
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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ncht Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ncht Lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama — 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 Ncht Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 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 Alabama’s top lakes →
Follow Ncht Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Ncht Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Ncht Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Nicol Dam (completed 1954), built primarily for water supply on the Yellow Creek; earth-type dam, 82 ft tall and 800 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 10,349 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 10,349 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- TUSCALOOSA CITY OF
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AL01111 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.07 km)
Nearby Lakes in Tuscaloosa County
Frequently asked questions about Ncht Lake
Where is Ncht Lake?
- Ncht Lake is a lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Its water-quality measurements are published by ADEM and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ncht Lake?
- Ncht Lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama has water-quality measurements published by ADEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.3 µg/L.
Is Ncht Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ncht Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Ncht Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 38 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Ncht Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Alabama
Other Lakes in Alabama
Mesotrophic Lakes in Alabama
Where this data comes from
56 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- ALABAMA DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - WATER QUALITY DATA
21AWIC56 samples · 2021–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)