Sutton Lake
New Hanover County, North Carolina1,185 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Sutton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Sutton Lake in New Hanover County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1185 acres.
Sutton Lake is a 1,185-acre mesotrophic lake in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in New Hanover County, Sutton Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2023-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sutton Lake covers about 1,200 acres in New Hanover County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Sutton Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Sutton Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water1,185 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sutton Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sutton Lake
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Sutton Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.2 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.2µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Sutton Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
1,185 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NC DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Sutton Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Sutton LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sutton Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sutton Lake in New Hanover County, North Carolina — 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 Sutton Lake
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Fishing Sutton Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sutton Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sutton 1972 Cooling Lake Dam (completed 1972), built primarily for other on the Cape Fear River; earth-type dam, 19 ft tall and 20,100 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,185 ac
- Max storage
- 6,900 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Duke Energy Corporation
All listed purposes: Other;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC05949 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in New Hanover County
Frequently asked questions about Sutton Lake
Where is Sutton Lake?
- Sutton Lake is a lake in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Its water-quality measurements are published by NC DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sutton Lake?
- Sutton Lake in New Hanover County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1185 acres.
Is Sutton Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Sutton Lake?
- Sutton Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sutton Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sutton Lake?
- Sutton Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by North Carolina's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Sutton Lake across LakeQuality
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Mesotrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
20 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ20 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- WSSSOP
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory