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LakeQuality

Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam

Wake County, North Carolina54 acresView mapDirections

NC DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam. Here is what has been measured.

Phosphorus
50 µg/L
Measured by NC DEQ
Chlorophyll-a
41 µg/L
Measured by NC DEQ
Max depth
~43 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Area
54 acres
Surface area
  • 43 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Ask about Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam in Wake County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 41 µg/L. Surface area: 54 acres.

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Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam is a 54-acre lake in Wake County, North Carolina with an estimated average depth of about 43 feet.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, NCDEQ, last sampled 2025-06-10. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam 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.

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Water quality measurements for Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam

These are the measurements NC DEQ publishes for Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam, 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 41 µg/L. TSI 64.

MetricValueEPA condition class
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)No recent samples
Phosphorus50 µg/LMeasured, not scored
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)41 µg/LMeasured, not scored
Trophic State Index (TSI)64Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~43 ft est.
Average Depth~12 ft est.
Surface Area54 acres

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 Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
Shoreline
2 mi
Elevation
322 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.

Fishing Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wake Forest Water Supply Dam (completed 1960), built primarily for recreation on the Smith Creek; earth-type dam, 36 ft tall and 665 ft long.

Surface area
54 ac
Normal storage
536 ac-ft
Max storage
1,010 ac-ft
Drainage area
3.28 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
Town of Wake Forest

All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID NC00995 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.05 km)

Nearby Lakes in Wake County

Frequently asked questions about Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam

Where is Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam?

Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam is a lake in Wake 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 Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam?

Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam in Wake County, North Carolina has water-quality measurements published by NC DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 41 µg/L. Surface area: 54 acres.

Is Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam?

No published bathymetric survey covers Wake Forest Reservoir @ Dam, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 43 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 54 acres.

Where this data comes from

7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • North Carolina Dept of Environmental Quality NCDEQ-DWR WQX21NC03WQ7 samples · 2025

Analytical methods

  • WSSSOP
  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
  • 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)