Piney River Lake
Rhea County, TennesseeView mapDirections
TDEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Piney River Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Public access
Piney River Lake in Rhea County, Tennessee has water-quality measurements published by TDEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18 µg/L.
Piney River Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Rhea County, Tennessee. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 8 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Rhea County, Piney River Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TDEC, last sampled 2026-06-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Piney River Lake has 8 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Piney River Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Piney River Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch8 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Piney 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 Piney River Lake
These are the measurements TDEC publishes for Piney River 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 6.4 ft. Phosphorus 18 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 18µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Piney River Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- RoddyPublic
- Spring City Boat DockPublic
- Rector BranchPublic
- Rhea SpringsPublic
- Piney Point ResortSemi-private
- Terrace View MarinaSemi-private
Showing 6 of 8 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Piney River Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Piney River Lake in Rhea County, Tennessee — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Piney River Lake
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Fishing Piney River Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 15 years of monitoring (2012–2026).
Water clarity
Stable14 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.95 µg/L/yr15 years
Nearby Lakes in Rhea County
Frequently asked questions about Piney River Lake
Where is Piney River Lake?
- Piney River Lake is a lake in Rhea County, Tennessee. Its water-quality measurements are published by TDEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Piney River Lake?
- Piney River Lake in Rhea County, Tennessee has water-quality measurements published by TDEC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18 µg/L.
Is Piney River Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Piney River Lake?
- Piney River Lake has 8 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Roddy, Spring City Boat Dock, Rector Branch, Rhea Springs, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Piney River Lake?
- Piney River Lake has 8 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.
Explore Piney River Lake across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 14.4 mi, nearest Upper Piney Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Tennessee's top lakes, each with its readings
Tennessee's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Tennessee
Mesotrophic Lakes in Tennessee
Where this data comes from
154 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_WQX154 samples · 2012–2026
Analytical methods
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 4500 P H ~ Manual Digestion and Flow Injection Analysis for Total Phosphorus
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
- 2120 C ~ Color in Water 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory