Near the Dam Lake
Amelia County, Virginia102 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 the Dam Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
Near the Dam Lake in Amelia County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.5 µg/L. Surface area: 102 acres.
Near the Dam Lake is a 102-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Amelia County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Amelia County, Near the Dam Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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. Near the Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Near the 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 the Dam Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Near the Dam 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 3.9 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 9.5 µg/L. TSI 52.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.9ft | 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) | 9.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 52 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Near the Dam Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 ft est.
Surface area
102 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Virginia DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for Near the Dam Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
253 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.
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Fishing Near the Dam Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2017–2024).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.64 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.47 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Near the Dam Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Amelia Dam, built primarily for recreation on the Unnamed tributary to Appomattox River - Bent Creek VAHU6 JA21; earth-type dam, 38 ft tall and 880 ft long.
- Surface area
- 102 ac
- Max storage
- 743 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.12 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA007001 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.17 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Near the 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-J07L_XLW01A00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Amelia County
Frequently asked questions about Near the Dam Lake
Where is Near the Dam Lake?
- Near the Dam Lake is in Amelia 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 the Dam Lake?
- Near the Dam Lake in Amelia County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.5 µg/L. Surface area: 102 acres.
Is Near the Dam Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Near the Dam Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Near the Dam Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Near the Dam Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 102 acres.
Can I fish at Near the Dam Lake?
- Public access to Near the Dam Lake 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.
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Where this data comes from
97 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB97 samples · 2017–2024
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
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)