Station Lake
Pittsylvania County, Virginia125 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
- #3 of 3 in the county
- 36 ft max depth
Station Lake in Pittsylvania County, Virginia has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.7 µg/L. Surface area: 125.4 acres.
- Clarity
- 3.6 ft
- Max depth
- ~36 ft est.
- Area
- 125 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 20 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 7.7 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Watch Station Lake’s letter
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Station Lake is a 125-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Pittsylvania County, Virginia with an estimated average depth of about 36 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Pittsylvania County, Station Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-28. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyModerate
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 C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Station 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 Grade: C (Fair)
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.7 µg/L. TSI 52. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.6 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.7 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 52 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~36 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~17 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 125 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 Station 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 Station Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | +0.005 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | -0.44 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.46 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Station Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Cherrystone Creek Dam # 1, built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Cherrystone Creek; earth-type dam, 57 ft tall and 790 ft long.
- Surface area
- 125.4 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,092 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 7,152 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 14.67 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Town of Chatham
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID VA143002 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.04 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Station 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 VAW-L66L_RFK01A06 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.75 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #3 of 3 lakes in Pittsylvania County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Station Lake holds Grade C. 3 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
See full comparison →Nearby Lakes in Pittsylvania County
Frequently asked questions about Station Lake
Where is Station Lake?
- Station Lake is a lake in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Station Lake?
- Station Lake in Pittsylvania County, Virginia has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.7 µg/L. Surface area: 125.4 acres.
Is Station Lake safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Station 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 Station Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Station Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 36 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 125.4 acres.
Explore Station Lake across LakeQuality
More Virginia Lake Rankings
Other Grade C Lakes in Virginia
Eutrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
151 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB151 samples · 2012–2024
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
- 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)