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LakeQuality

Salem Reservoir

Columbiana County, OhioView mapDirections

Ohio EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Salem Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.

Phosphorus
116.1 µg/L
Measured by Ohio EPA
Chlorophyll-a
5.2 µg/L
Measured by Ohio EPA
Max depth
~40 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Type
Mesotrophic
Trophic class
  • Mesotrophic
  • Impaired · Pathogens (E. coli, fecal)
  • 40 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Ask about Salem Reservoir

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Salem Reservoir in Columbiana County, Ohio has water-quality measurements published by Ohio EPA, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 116.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L.

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Stays near Salem Reservoir

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Salem Reservoir in Columbiana County, Ohio — 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 Salem Reservoir are listed below.

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Salem Reservoir is a mesotrophic lake in Columbiana County, Ohio with an estimated average depth of about 40 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Columbiana County, Salem Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Ohio EPA, last sampled 2022-10-24. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Salem Reservoir is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Bacteria advisory

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. Salem Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Salem Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

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Water quality measurements for Salem Reservoir

These are the measurements Ohio EPA publishes for Salem Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data. Phosphorus 116.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.2 µg/L. TSI 60.

MetricValueEPA condition class
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)No recent samples
Phosphorus116.1 µg/LPoor
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)5.2 µg/LFair
Trophic State Index (TSI)60Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~40 ft est.
Average Depth~13 ft est.
Public AccessYes

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Ohio has not published bathymetry for Salem Reservoir.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
Surface area
111 acres
Shoreline
2 mi
Elevation
1,165 ft

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.

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Salem ReservoirPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Salem Reservoir

EPA Impairment Status

Salem Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Pathogens (E. coli, fecal)

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OH050301010501 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.78 km)

Nearby Lakes in Columbiana County

Frequently asked questions about Salem Reservoir

Where is Salem Reservoir?

Salem Reservoir is a lake in Columbiana County, Ohio. Its water-quality measurements are published by Ohio EPA and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Salem Reservoir?

Salem Reservoir in Columbiana County, Ohio has water-quality measurements published by Ohio EPA, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 116.1 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L.

Is Salem Reservoir safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Salem Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Salem Reservoir?

No published bathymetric survey covers Salem Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 40 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Are there boat ramps on Salem Reservoir?

Salem Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Salem Reservoir. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

20 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Division of Surface water (Ohio)21OHIO_WQX20 samples · 2022

Analytical methods

  • Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
  • 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
  • 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory