Rural Retreat Lake
Wythe County, Virginia80 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
- Eutrophic
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 23 ft max depth
- Public access
Rural Retreat Lake in Wythe County, Virginia has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.1 µg/L. Surface area: 79.5 acres.
- Clarity
- 5.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~23 ft est.
- Area
- 80 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 25 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 9.1 µg/L
- Trend
- → Stable
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Rural Retreat Lake’s letter
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Rural Retreat Lake is a 80-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Wythe County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 23 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-23. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyModerate
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft. Phosphorus 25 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 9.1 µg/L. TSI 52. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 25 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 9.1 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 52 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~23 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~17 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 80 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for Rural Retreat Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Rural Retreat Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.028 m/yr | 3 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -1.69 µg/L/yr | 3 |
| Chlorophyll-a | → Stable | -0.14 µg/L/yr | 3 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Rural Retreat Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Rural Retreat Dam, built primarily for recreation on the South Fork Reed Creek; earth-type dam, 44 ft tall and 595 ft long.
- Surface area
- 79.5 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,250 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,440 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.34 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA197001 · Operator website
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Wythe County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Rural Retreat Lake holds Grade C. 3 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
See full comparison →Nearby Lakes in Wythe County
Frequently asked questions about Rural Retreat Lake
Where is Rural Retreat Lake?
- Rural Retreat Lake is a lake in Wythe County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Rural Retreat Lake?
- Rural Retreat Lake in Wythe County, Virginia has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 9.1 µg/L. Surface area: 79.5 acres.
Is Rural Retreat Lake safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Rural Retreat Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Rural Retreat Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 23 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 79.5 acres.
Explore Rural Retreat Lake across LakeQuality
15.2 mi away · 15 ft
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
80 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
21VASWCB80 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)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)