Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone
Wise County, Virginia156 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- #2 of 3 in the county
- 15 ft max depth
Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone in Wise County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 156.1 acres.
- Clarity
- 12.5 ft
- Max depth
- ~15 ft est.
- Area
- 156 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 10 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 2.1 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Watch Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone’s letter
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Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone is a 156-acre mesotrophic lake in Wise County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 15 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 2 other monitored lakes in Wise County, Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2026-07-09. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
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. Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 39. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 12.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.1 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 39 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~15 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 156 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 Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone.
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 Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.219 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -0.21 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.12 µg/L/yr | 4 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Big Cherry Rcc Dam, built primarily for water supply on the South Fork Powell River; concrete-type dam, 70 ft tall and 400 ft long.
- Surface area
- 156.1 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,941 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,550 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5.56 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Town of Big Stone Gap
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA195016 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.08 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone 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 VAS-P18L_PLL01L02 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.82 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 3 lakes in Wise County
Nearby Lakes in Wise County
Frequently asked questions about Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone
Where is Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone?
- Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone is a lake in Wise County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone?
- Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone in Wise County, Virginia has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 156.1 acres.
Is Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone safe to swim in?
- The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 15 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 156.1 acres.
Explore Sta Big Cherry Reservoir East of Big Stone across LakeQuality
More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade A Lakes in Virginia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
108 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB108 samples · 2014–2026
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)
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)