Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake
Buckingham County, Virginia58 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- Impaired · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
- 35 ft max depth
- Limited data
Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake in Buckingham County, Virginia is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11 µg/L. Surface area: 57.8 acres.
- Clarity
- 3 ft
- Max depth
- ~35 ft est.
- Area
- 58 acres
- Phosphorus
- 30 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 11 µg/L
- Trend
- → Stable
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Watch Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake’s letter
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Why Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake, the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. Sampling here has recorded water clarity, phosphorus and algae (chlorophyll-a).
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by Virginia DEQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake is a 58-acre lake in Buckingham County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2014-10-21. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 11 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 30 µg/L | Not graded |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 11 µg/L | Not graded |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 56 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~35 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~13 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 58 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Virginia has not published bathymetry for Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment 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 Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.15 m/yr | 2 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | 0 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -4.5 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Slate River Dam #2, built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Troublesome Creek; earth-type dam, 45 ft tall and 777 ft long.
- Surface area
- 57.8 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,335 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,180 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.26 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Buckingham County
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA029013 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.12 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAP-H21L_TBM01A06 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.39 km)
Graded lakes near Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake
Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Buckingham County
Frequently asked questions about Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake
Where is Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake?
- Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake is a lake in Buckingham County, Virginia. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake?
- Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake in Buckingham County, Virginia is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11 µg/L. Surface area: 57.8 acres.
Is Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Slate River Dam Scs Impoundment Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 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 57.8 acres.
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Where this data comes from
52 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2014. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB52 samples · 2013–2014
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)