Sandy River Lake
Prince Edward County, Virginia740 acresView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Sandy River Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
Sandy River Lake in Prince Edward County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.6 µg/L. Surface area: 740 acres.
Sandy River Lake is a 740-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Prince Edward County, Sandy River Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-06-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sandy River Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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 Sandy River Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sandy River Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Sandy River 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 3.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14.6 µg/L. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 14.6µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Sandy River Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
740 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Virginia DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Sandy River Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Sandy River ResevoirPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sandy River Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sandy River Lake in Prince Edward County, Virginia — 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 Sandy River Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Sandy River Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Sandy River Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2013–2026).
Water clarity
Stable7 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.16 µg/L/yr6 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sandy River Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bush River Dam # 12 (completed 1983), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Sandy River - VAHU6 JA14 Bush River - Sandy River; earth-type dam, 62 ft tall and 1,880 ft long.
- Surface area
- 740 ac
- Normal storage
- 11,530 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 38,534 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 36.79 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Prince Edward County
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA147035 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Prince Edward County
Frequently asked questions about Sandy River Lake
Where is Sandy River Lake?
- Sandy River Lake is a lake in Prince Edward County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sandy River Lake?
- Sandy River Lake in Prince Edward County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.6 µg/L. Surface area: 740 acres.
Is Sandy 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 Sandy River Lake?
- Sandy River Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sandy River Resevoir. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sandy River Lake?
- Sandy River Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Virginia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Sandy River Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
505 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2013–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB505 samples · 2013–2026
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
- 446.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophylls and Pheopigments in Phytoplankton by Spectrophotometry
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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