Tust Lake
Tuscaloosa County, AlabamaView mapDirections
ADEM publishes the water-quality measurements for Tust Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 61 ft max depth
- Public access
Tust Lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama has water-quality measurements published by ADEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L.
Tust Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama with an estimated average depth of about 61 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Tuscaloosa County, Tust Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEM, last sampled 2024-10-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Tust Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Tust Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Alabama Department of Environmental Management and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Tust Lake
These are the measurements ADEM publishes for Tust Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.7 ft. Phosphorus 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.3 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.3µg/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. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Tust Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~61 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by ADEM
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Alabama has not published bathymetry for Tust Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
418 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
4,460 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
61.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
233 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
- Binion CreekPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Tust Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Tust Lake
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Fishing Tust Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.21 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.18 µg/L/yr4 years
Nearby Lakes in Tuscaloosa County
Frequently asked questions about Tust Lake
Where is Tust Lake?
- Tust Lake is a lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Its water-quality measurements are published by ADEM and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Tust Lake?
- Tust Lake in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama has water-quality measurements published by ADEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.3 µg/L.
Is Tust Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Tust Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Tust Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 61 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Tust Lake?
- Tust Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Binion Creek. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Tust Lake?
- Tust 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 Alabama's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Tust Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Alabama
Other Lakes in Alabama
Mesotrophic Lakes in Alabama
Where this data comes from
447 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- ALABAMA DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - WATER QUALITY DATA
21AWIC447 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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