Tar River Reservoir
Nash County, North Carolina1,000 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Tar River Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Tar River Reservoir in Nash County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 33 µg/L. Surface area: 1000 acres.
Tar River Reservoir is a 1,000-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Nash County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2022-09-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Tar River Reservoir covers about 1,000 acres in Nash County. It has 2 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 Tar River Reservoir on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Tar River Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water1,000 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 Tar River Reservoir 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 Tar River Reservoir
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Tar River Reservoir, 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 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 33 µg/L. TSI 65.
| 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 | 70µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 33µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 65 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Tar River Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 ft est.
Surface area
1,000 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by NC DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. North Carolina has not published bathymetry for Tar River Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
786 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
14.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
138 ft
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.
Recreation & Access
- Unnamed Boat RampPublic
- Tar River Reservoir Boat Ramp accessPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Tar River Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Tar River Reservoir in Nash 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Tar River Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Tar River Reservoir
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Tar River Reservoir → · more North Carolina lake trips
Follow Tar River Reservoir’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Tar River Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Tar River Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Tar River Reservoir Dam (completed 1971), built primarily for other on the Tar River; earth-type dam, 35 ft tall and 500 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,000 ac
- Normal storage
- 11,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 13,440 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 775 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- City of Rocky Mount
All listed purposes: Other;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00913 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Nash County
Frequently asked questions about Tar River Reservoir
Where is Tar River Reservoir?
- Tar River Reservoir is a lake in Nash 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 Tar River Reservoir?
- Tar River Reservoir in Nash County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 33 µg/L. Surface area: 1000 acres.
Is Tar River Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Tar River Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Tar River Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 1000 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Tar River Reservoir?
- Tar River Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Unnamed Boat Ramp, Tar River Reservoir Boat Ramp access. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Tar River Reservoir?
- Tar River Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings 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 Tar River Reservoir across LakeQuality
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Hypereutrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
63 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ63 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory