Union Bridge Lake
Patrick County, VirginiaView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Union Bridge Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
Union Bridge Lake in Patrick County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L.
Union Bridge Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Patrick County, Virginia. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Patrick County, Union Bridge Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Union Bridge Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Union Bridge Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Union Bridge Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for Union Bridge 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 8.2 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.7 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.7µg/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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Fishing Union Bridge Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Stable7 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.1 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable0 µg/L/yr7 years
EPA Impairment Status
Union Bridge Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit VAW-L51L_SRE03A02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Patrick County
Frequently asked questions about Union Bridge Lake
Where is Union Bridge Lake?
- Union Bridge Lake is a lake in Patrick County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Union Bridge Lake?
- Union Bridge Lake in Patrick County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.7 µg/L.
Is Union Bridge Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Union Bridge Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO), temperature. Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
200 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB200 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Tyler, John. 1968. The secchi disk, Limnology and Oceanograpy, 13(1):1-6.
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database