Pelahatchie Lake
Rankin County, MississippiView mapDirections
MDEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Pelahatchie Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
Pelahatchie Lake in Rankin County, Mississippi has water-quality measurements published by MDEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 26 µg/L.
Pelahatchie Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Rankin County, Mississippi. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Rankin County, Pelahatchie Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2024-10-01. 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pelahatchie Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Pelahatchie Lake
These are the measurements MDEQ publishes for Pelahatchie 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 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 26 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 40µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 26µg/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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Fishing Pelahatchie Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pelahatchie Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pelahatchie Lake Dam, built primarily for recreation; earth-type dam, 30 ft tall.
- Max storage
- 1,200 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- CITY OF PELAHATCHIE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MS01257 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Rankin County
Frequently asked questions about Pelahatchie Lake
Where is Pelahatchie Lake?
- Pelahatchie Lake is a lake in Rankin County, Mississippi. Its water-quality measurements are published by MDEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pelahatchie Lake?
- Pelahatchie Lake in Rankin County, Mississippi has water-quality measurements published by MDEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 26 µg/L.
Is Pelahatchie Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Pelahatchie Lake across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Mississippi
Eutrophic Lakes in Mississippi
Where this data comes from
68 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21MSWQ_WQX68 samples · 2022–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 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.