Weiss Lake
Cherokee County, AlabamaView mapDirections
ADEM publishes the water-quality measurements for Weiss Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 64 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Weiss Lake in Cherokee County, Alabama has water-quality measurements published by ADEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility.
Weiss Lake is a lake in Cherokee County, Alabama with an estimated average depth of about 64 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEM, last sampled 2022-11-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Weiss Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Weiss Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Weiss 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 Weiss Lake
These are the measurements ADEM publishes for Weiss Lake, 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 3 ft of visibility. TSI 62.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| 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 Weiss Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~64 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 Weiss Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5,274 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
10,954 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
82.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
545 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
- Chattooga BridgePublic
- East DiversionPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Weiss Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Weiss Lake in Cherokee County, Alabama — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Weiss Lake
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Weiss Lake → · more Alabama lake trips
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Fishing Weiss Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Weiss Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Fish consumption, Recreation, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit AL03150105-1003-102 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cherokee County
Frequently asked questions about Weiss Lake
Where is Weiss Lake?
- Weiss Lake is a lake in Cherokee County, Alabama. Its water-quality measurements are published by ADEM and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Weiss Lake?
- Weiss Lake in Cherokee County, Alabama has water-quality measurements published by ADEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility.
Is Weiss Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Weiss Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Weiss Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Weiss Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 64 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 Weiss Lake?
- Weiss Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Chattooga Bridge, East Diversion. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Weiss Lake?
- Weiss Lake 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 Alabama's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Weiss Lake across LakeQuality
3 documented falls within 24.2 mi, nearest Grace's High Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Alabama's top lakes, each with its readings
Alabama's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Little River Canyon?
Weiss Lake is about 15 miles from Little River Canyon National Preserve. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Little River Canyon →More lakes in Alabama
Other Lakes in Alabama
Where this data comes from
115 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2014–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Alabama Water Watch
AWW_WQX115 samples · 2014–2022
Analytical methods
- AWW QAPP
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory