South Holston Lake
Washington County, VirginiaView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for South Holston Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
South Holston Lake in Washington County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.5 µg/L.
South Holston Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Washington County, Virginia. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Washington County, South Holston Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-07-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
South Holston Lake 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 South Holston Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What South Holston Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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. South Holston Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether South Holston 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 South Holston Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for South Holston Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.5 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.2ft | 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) | 7.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about South Holston Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- BaumgardnerPublic
- Whitaker Hollow ParkPublic
- AvensPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near South Holston Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near South Holston Lake in Washington 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.
Top-rated places to stay near South Holston Lake
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Fishing South Holston Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2015–2026).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.91 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.1 µg/L/yr4 years
EPA Impairment Status
South Holston Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAS-O06L_SFH01A00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Washington County
Frequently asked questions about South Holston Lake
Where is South Holston Lake?
- South Holston Lake is a lake in Washington County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of South Holston Lake?
- South Holston Lake in Washington County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.5 µg/L.
Is South Holston Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. South Holston Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on South Holston Lake?
- South Holston Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Baumgardner, Whitaker Hollow Park, Avens. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at South Holston Lake?
- South Holston 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 Virginia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore South Holston Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
98 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB98 samples · 2015–2026
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 (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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory