Nees Lake
Cherokee County, Alabama30,200 acresView mapDirections
ADEM publishes the water-quality measurements for Nees Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
Nees Lake in Cherokee County, Alabama has water-quality measurements published by ADEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L. Surface area: 30200 acres.
Nees Lake is a 30,200-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Cherokee County, Alabama. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Cherokee County, Nees Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEM, last sampled 2025-10-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Nees Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Big water30,200 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Nees Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Nees 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 Nees Lake
These are the measurements ADEM publishes for Nees 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 2.4 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 24 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 35µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 24µg/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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Nees Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
30,200 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Nees Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Nees Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Nees Lake in Cherokee 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Nees Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Nees Lake
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Fishing Nees Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2013–2025).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.83 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.54 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Nees Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Weiss - Main Dam (completed 1961), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Coosa; earth-type dam, 86 ft tall and 19,253 ft long.
- Surface area
- 30,200 ac
- Normal storage
- 306,400 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 306,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5,273 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Alabama Power Company
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AL01415 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.13 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Nees Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit AL03150106-0204-102 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cherokee County
Frequently asked questions about Nees Lake
Where is Nees Lake?
- Nees Lake is a lake in Cherokee County, Alabama. Its water-quality measurements are published by ADEM and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Nees Lake?
- Nees Lake in Cherokee County, Alabama has water-quality measurements published by ADEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 35 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L. Surface area: 30200 acres.
Is Nees Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Nees Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Nees Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Little River Canyon?
Nees Lake is about 22 miles from Little River Canyon National Preserve. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Little River Canyon →More lakes in Alabama
Other Lakes in Alabama
Where this data comes from
101 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2016–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- ALABAMA DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - WATER QUALITY DATA
21AWIC101 samples · 2016–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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