Smith Lake
Stafford County, Virginia225 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Mesotrophic
- #1 of 5 in the county
- 31 ft max depth
Smith Lake in Stafford County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 225 acres.
- Clarity
- 8.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~31 ft est.
- Area
- 225 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 10 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 2.3 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Watch Smith Lake’s letter
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Smith Lake is a 225-acre mesotrophic lake in Stafford County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2026. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Stafford County, Smith Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-06-16. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
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 A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 41. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 8.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 41 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~31 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~14 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 225 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 Smith 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 Smith Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.078 m/yr | 7 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -1 µg/L/yr | 6 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.09 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Smith Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Aquia Creek Dam, built primarily for water supply on the Aquia Creek; earth-type dam, 81 ft tall and 1,600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 225 ac
- Normal storage
- 6,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 10,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 55.2 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Stafford County - County Administrator
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA179009 · Operator website
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 5 lakes in Stafford County
Nearby Lakes in Stafford County
Frequently asked questions about Smith Lake
Where is Smith Lake?
- Smith Lake is a lake in Stafford County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Smith Lake?
- Smith Lake in Stafford County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 225 acres.
Is Smith Lake safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Smith Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Smith Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 225 acres.
Explore Smith Lake across LakeQuality
More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Virginia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
409 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 2013–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB409 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
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (5)
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)