Tuckertown Reservoir
Rowan County, North Carolina2,560 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Tuckertown Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 38 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Tuckertown Reservoir in Rowan County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27 µg/L. Surface area: 2560 acres.
Tuckertown Reservoir is a 2,560-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Rowan County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 38 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Rowan County, Tuckertown Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2021-09-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Tuckertown Reservoir covers about 2,600 acres in Rowan 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 Tuckertown Reservoir on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Tuckertown Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water2,560 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 Tuckertown 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 Tuckertown Reservoir
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Tuckertown 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 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 27 µg/L. TSI 62.
| 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 | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 27µg/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. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Tuckertown Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~38 ft est.
Surface area
2,560 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 Tuckertown Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4,105 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
33.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
574 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
- Gar Creek Boat LaunchPublic
- Tuckertown Reservoir Boat RampPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Tuckertown Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Tuckertown Reservoir in Rowan 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 Tuckertown Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Tuckertown 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 Tuckertown Reservoir → · more North Carolina lake trips
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Fishing Tuckertown Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Tuckertown Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Tuckertown (completed 1962), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Yadkin; gravity-type dam, 80 ft tall and 1,370 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,560 ac
- Normal storage
- 6,897 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,897 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4,080 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Cube Yadkin Generation LLC
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00550 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Rowan County
Frequently asked questions about Tuckertown Reservoir
Where is Tuckertown Reservoir?
- Tuckertown Reservoir is a lake in Rowan 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 Tuckertown Reservoir?
- Tuckertown Reservoir in Rowan County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27 µg/L. Surface area: 2560 acres.
Is Tuckertown Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Tuckertown Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Tuckertown Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 38 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 2560 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Tuckertown Reservoir?
- Tuckertown Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Gar Creek Boat Launch, Tuckertown Reservoir Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Tuckertown Reservoir?
- Tuckertown 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 Tuckertown Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in North Carolina
Eutrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
30 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX
21NC03WQ30 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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