West Arm Lake
Pulaski County, VirginiaView mapDirections
Virginia DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for West Arm Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
West Arm Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L.
West Arm Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Pulaski County, Virginia. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 9 other monitored lakes in Pulaski County, West Arm Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Virginia DEQ, last sampled 2024-10-10. 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether West Arm 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 West Arm Lake
These are the measurements Virginia DEQ publishes for West Arm 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 9.2 ft. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.4 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.2ft | 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) | 2.4µg/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 West Arm Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening7 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.04 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.05 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Pulaski County
Frequently asked questions about West Arm Lake
Where is West Arm Lake?
- West Arm Lake is a lake in Pulaski County, Virginia. Its water-quality measurements are published by Virginia DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of West Arm Lake?
- West Arm Lake in Pulaski County, Virginia has water-quality measurements published by Virginia DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.4 µg/L.
Is West Arm Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore West Arm Lake across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Virginia
Mesotrophic Lakes in Virginia
Where this data comes from
191 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21VASWCB191 samples · 2013–2024
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
- 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.