Ocoee River Lake
Polk County, Tennessee1,620 acresView mapDirections
TDEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Ocoee River Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- Public access
- Limited data
Ocoee River Lake in Polk County, Tennessee has water-quality measurements published by TDEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.2 ft visibility. Surface area: 1620 acres.
Ocoee River Lake is a 1,620-acre lake in Polk County, Tennessee. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TDEC, last sampled 2026-07-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ocoee River Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.2 ft of visibility
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water1,620 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ocoee River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), pCBs, sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ocoee River Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Ocoee River Lake
These are the measurements TDEC publishes for Ocoee River Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.2 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Ocoee River Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
1,620 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by TDEC
No bathymetric survey has been published for Ocoee River Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Kings SloughPublic
- Lake Ocoee MarinaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Ocoee River Lake
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Fishing Ocoee River Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2012–2026). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Ocoee River Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Ocoee No. 1 Dam (completed 1911), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Ocoee River; concrete-type dam, 135 ft tall and 840 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,620 ac
- Normal storage
- 79,320 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 48,350 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 595 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- TVA
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID TN13905 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.91 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Ocoee River Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit TN06020003004_1000 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Ocoee River Lake
Where is Ocoee River Lake?
- Ocoee River Lake is a lake in Polk County, Tennessee. Its water-quality measurements are published by TDEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ocoee River Lake?
- Ocoee River Lake in Polk County, Tennessee has water-quality measurements published by TDEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.2 ft visibility. Surface area: 1620 acres.
Is Ocoee River Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Ocoee River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), pCBs, sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Ocoee River Lake?
- Ocoee River Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Kings Slough, Lake Ocoee Marina. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ocoee River Lake?
- Ocoee River Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Tennessee's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- TDEC Division of Water Resources
TDECWR_WQX7 samples · 2012–2026
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory