Turner Reservoir
Chatham County, North Carolina18 acresView mapDirections
NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Turner Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Limited data
Turner Reservoir in Chatham County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 75 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 59 µg/L. Surface area: 18 acres.
Turner Reservoir is a 18-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Chatham County, North Carolina. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Chatham County, Turner Reservoir ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2023-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Turner 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 Turner Reservoir
These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Turner Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 75 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 59 µg/L. TSI 69.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 75µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 59µg/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. | 69 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Turner Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
18 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Turner Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Turner Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Turner Reservoir in Chatham 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 Turner Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Turner Reservoir
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Fishing Turner Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Turner Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Clapp Lake Dam (completed 1953), built primarily for recreation on the Lacey Creek; earth-type dam, 25 ft tall and 510 ft long.
- Surface area
- 18 ac
- Normal storage
- 208 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 250 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.48 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Martha F Fox
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00617 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.83 km)
Nearby Lakes in Chatham County
Frequently asked questions about Turner Reservoir
Where is Turner Reservoir?
- Turner Reservoir is a lake in Chatham 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 Turner Reservoir?
- Turner Reservoir in Chatham County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 75 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 59 µg/L. Surface area: 18 acres.
Is Turner Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Turner Reservoir across LakeQuality
More lakes in North Carolina
Other Lakes in North Carolina
Hypereutrophic Lakes in North Carolina
Where this data comes from
100 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 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
21NC03WQ100 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 (5)
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.