Near Dam Lake
Cumberland County, Virginia52 acresView mapDirections
This is the name Virginia DEQ records for this water. It can describe one sampling location rather than the water as a whole.
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Near Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
Near Dam Lake in Cumberland County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 33.6 µg/L. Surface area: 52 acres.
Near Dam Lake is a 52-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Cumberland County, Virginia. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
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. Near Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Near Dam Lake 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 Near Dam Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Near Dam Lake, 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 2.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 33.6 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 60µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 33.6µg/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. | 65 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Near Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
52 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Near Dam Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Near Dam Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Near Dam Lake in Cumberland 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 Near Dam Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Near Dam Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2019–2026).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.87 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.13 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Near Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bear Creek Dam (completed 1939), built primarily for recreation on the Bear Creek; earth-type dam, 32 ft tall and 180 ft long.
- Surface area
- 52 ac
- Normal storage
- 508 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,090 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Department of Conservation & Recreation - Division of State Parks
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA049002 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.1 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Near Dam Lake 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 VAP-H36L_BRC01A06 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cumberland County
Frequently asked questions about Near Dam Lake
Where is Near Dam Lake?
- Near Dam Lake is in Cumberland County, Virginia. This is the name Virginia DEQ records for this water. It can describe one sampling location rather than the water as a whole. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Near Dam Lake?
- Near Dam Lake in Cumberland County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 60 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 33.6 µg/L. Surface area: 52 acres.
Is Near Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Near Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
104 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB104 samples · 2019–2026
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