Summersville Lake
Nicholas County, West Virginia2,790 acresView mapDirections
WVDEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Summersville Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
- Limited data
Summersville Lake in Nicholas County, West Virginia has water-quality measurements published by WVDEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 2790 acres.
Summersville Lake is a 2,790-acre lake in Nicholas County, West Virginia. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2023-06-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Summersville Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Camping4 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water2,790 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Summersville Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Summersville Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Summersville Lake
These are the measurements WVDEP publishes for Summersville Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 50µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.1µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Summersville Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
2,790 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by WVDEP
No bathymetric survey has been published for Summersville Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Summersville LakePublic
- Gauley River (Summersville Lake)Public
- Battle RunPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Summersville Lake
- Summersville Lake Shelters0.4 kmReserve
- Campground1.1 km
- Battle Run1.6 kmReserve
- Long Point Campground1.9 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Summersville Lake
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Fishing Summersville Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Summersville Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Summersville Dam (completed 1965), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Gauley River; rockfill-type dam, 390 ft tall and 2,280 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,790 ac
- Normal storage
- 191,540 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 413,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 803 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Huntington District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WV06702 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Summersville 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: Drinking water, Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WV-KG-L5-043_d · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Nicholas County
Frequently asked questions about Summersville Lake
Where is Summersville Lake?
- Summersville Lake is a lake in Nicholas County, West Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by WVDEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Summersville Lake?
- Summersville Lake in Nicholas County, West Virginia has water-quality measurements published by WVDEP, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 2790 acres.
Is Summersville Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Summersville Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Summersville Lake?
- Summersville Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Summersville Lake, Gauley River (Summersville Lake), Battle Run. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Summersville Lake?
- Summersville 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 West Virginia's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Summersville Lake?
- Summersville Lake has 4 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Summersville Lake Shelters, Campground, Battle Run, Long Point Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Summersville Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection-Division of Water & Waste Management-Watershed Assessment Branch
WVDEP_WQX4 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 446.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophylls and Pheopigments in Phytoplankton by Spectrophotometry
- Nitrogen Total Calculation
- Multiparameter Sonde
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles