Santeetlah Lake
Graham County, North Carolina2,884 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Santeetlah Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 80 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Santeetlah Lake in Graham County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.7 µg/L. Surface area: 2884 acres.
Santeetlah Lake is a 2,884-acre mesotrophic lake in Graham County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 80 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Graham County, Santeetlah Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2024-11-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Santeetlah Lake covers about 2,900 acres in Graham County. It has 3 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 Santeetlah Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Santeetlah Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.3 ft of visibility
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water2,884 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Santeetlah Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Santeetlah Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Santeetlah Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.3 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.7 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Santeetlah Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~80 ft est.
Surface area
2,884 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NC DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. North Carolina has not published bathymetry for Santeetlah Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
169 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
39.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,952 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
- Avey CreekPublic
- Ranger StationPublic
- Cheoah PointPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Santeetlah Lake
- Lake Santeetlah Campsites1.2 km
- Cheoah Point Campground1.6 kmReserve
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Santeetlah Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Santeetlah Lake in Graham County, North Carolina — 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 Santeetlah Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Santeetlah Lake → · more North Carolina lake trips
Follow Santeetlah Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Santeetlah Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Santeetlah Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Santeetlah (completed 1928), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Cheoah; arch-type dam, 216 ft tall and 1,054 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,884 ac
- Normal storage
- 160,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 207,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 176 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Brookfield Renewable Energy Group (ARO)
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00392 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Graham County
Frequently asked questions about Santeetlah Lake
Where is Santeetlah Lake?
- Santeetlah Lake is a lake in Graham County, North Carolina. Its water-quality measurements are published by NC DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Santeetlah Lake?
- Santeetlah Lake in Graham County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.7 µg/L. Surface area: 2884 acres.
Is Santeetlah Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Santeetlah Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Santeetlah Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 80 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 2884 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Santeetlah Lake?
- Santeetlah Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Avey Creek, Ranger Station, Cheoah Point. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Santeetlah Lake?
- Santeetlah Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Carolina's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Santeetlah Lake?
- Santeetlah Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Lake Santeetlah Campsites, Cheoah Point Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Santeetlah Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Great Smoky Mountains?
Santeetlah Lake is about 26 miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Great Smoky Mountains →More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
57 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ57 samples · 2024
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles