Updated Aug 2026
Virginia Lake Water Quality
Water quality grades for 126 of the 390 lakes we list here, across 99 counties.
Grade Distribution
All 390 Virginia lakes in the index: 126 (32.3%) carry an A–F grade and 264 (67.7%) are not rated, because they lack enough recent nutrient or algae sampling to support a letter.
Top-Graded Virginia Lakes
The highest water-quality grades in Virginia — clarity, depth, and A-F grade at a glance.
Lake Map
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New grades, clarity readings, and algae advisories for Virginia lakes as samples come in. Unsubscribe anytime.
Where to stay near Virginia's top-graded lakes
Cabins, resorts, and vacation rentals around Mouth of Witcher Cr. Lake and the other top-graded Virginia lakes pinned on the map. Live availability and prices.
Top-rated places to stay near Mouth of Witcher Cr. Lake
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Explore Virginia Lakes
Virginia reports, fishing & travel
Reservoirs in Virginia
View all 90 reservoirs →90 of 390 Virginia lakes (23%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 77 carry a High or Significant hazard rating. The oldest matched dam dates to 1908.
EPA-Impaired Lakes in Virginia
View all 115 impaired lakes →115 of 390 Virginia lakes (29%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 37 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.
Virginia Fishing & Recreation
Licenses, regulations, records, and where to fish across Virginia.
Counties
All 99 Virginia counties, ranked by average lake water quality. Compare them against every county nationwide in the county rankings, browse the full directory of graded lakes, or pick a different state.
Top 25 Cleanest Lakes
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AMouth of Witcher Cr. Lake | Bedford | A | 11.2 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 2 | ALower Blackwater River Lake | Franklin | A | 12.1 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 3 | ADam Lake | Franklin | A | 12.1 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 4 | ADam Lake | Pittsylvania | A | 10.5 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 5 | ADam Lake | Alleghany | A | 12.1 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 6 | ASta B Lake | Mecklenburg | A | 7.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 7 | AUnion Bridge Lake | Patrick | A | 8.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 8 | AHidden Valley Lake | Washington | A | 9.7 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 9 | AHunting Run Reservior Lake | Spotsylvania | A | 8.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 10 | AGoose Point Lake | Franklin | A | 10.2 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 11 | AMouth Craddock Cr. Lake | Bedford | A | 10.2 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 12 | AAbove Dam Lake | Albemarle | A | 13.1 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 13 | AAbove Dam Lake | Pulaski | A | 9.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 14 | ACool Branch Lake | Franklin | A | 10.5 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 15 | ALaurel Bed Lake | Russell | A | 9.8 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 16 | AConfl. Blackwater River Lake | Bedford | A | 9.8 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 17 | AMouth of Bull Run Lake | Franklin | A | 10.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 18 | ACarvins Cove Reservoir | Botetourt | A | 11.5 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 19 | ABolar Mtn. Campground Lake | Bath | A | 9.2 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 20 | ALee Hall Reservoir | Newport News city | A | 4.8 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 21 | AMouth Big Lick Cr. Lake | Alleghany | A | 12.5 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 22 | AMotts Run Reservoir | Spotsylvania | A | 10.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 23 | AWise Lake | Wise | A | 10.5 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 24 | ALake Robertson | Rockbridge | A | 13.9 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 25 | AWest Arm Lake | Pulaski | A | 9.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
25 Lakes Needing Attention
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FUpper Branch of Terry'S Run Lake | Spotsylvania | F | 0.7 ft |
| 2 | FSta Lake | Virginia Beach city | F | 1 ft |
| 3 | FSwift Creek Lake Sta | Chesterfield | F | 1.6 ft |
| 4 | FStation Lake | Virginia Beach city | F | 1.3 ft |
| 5 | FNear Dam Lake | Cumberland | F | 2.1 ft |
| 6 | DCohoke Millpond | King William | D | No recent samples |
| 7 | DBryants Pond | Sussex | D | No recent samples |
| 8 | DUt To Chk Lake | Hanover | D | No recent samples |
| 9 | DNorth Arm of Mill Creek Lake | Amherst | D | 3.6 ft |
| 10 | DMill Creek Reservoir | Amherst | D | 3.6 ft |
| 11 | DNottoway Lake | Nottoway | D | 3.3 ft |
| 12 | DPowhatan Lake | Powhatan | D | 2.3 ft |
| 13 | DLake Orange | Orange | D | 3.9 ft |
| 14 | DLake Chesdin Sta | Chesterfield | D | 3 ft |
| 15 | DUpstream of Ivy Creek Lake | Albemarle | D | 4.3 ft |
| 16 | DFluvanna Ruritan Lake | Fluvanna | D | 3.3 ft |
| 17 | DBanister Lakesta | Halifax | D | 2 ft |
| 18 | DTotier Creek Reservoir | Albemarle | D | 3 ft |
| 19 | DKeysville Reservoir-Charlotte | Charlotte | D | 2.3 ft |
| 20 | DLake Culpeper | Culpeper | D | 2 ft |
| 21 | DMountain Run Lake | Culpeper | D | 2.6 ft |
| 22 | DSandy River Lake | Prince Edward | D | 3.3 ft |
| 23 | DGreat Creek Reservoir | Brunswick | D | 3.1 ft |
| 24 | DAt Dam Lake Albemarle | Albemarle | D | 3.4 ft |
| 25 | DBrunswick County Lake | Brunswick | D | 2.3 ft |
126 of the 390 Virginia lakes in this index carry an A–F water-quality grade, spread over 99 counties. Those grades rest on measurements from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, alongside federal programs and volunteer monitoring networks. The rest are listed for their size, depth and location, without enough recent nutrient or algae sampling behind them to support a letter. About 37% of graded Virginia lakes pull an A, 46 top-bracket waters. That high A-share comes mostly from the cold, deep, kettle-formed lakes in the north of the state, which buffer themselves against nutrient inputs.
By surface area the largest lake here is Dam Lake, at about 20,400 acres, and 16 of the lakes in this index cover more than 500 acres. Size is worth knowing before you go: a large deep basin buffers nutrient inputs by sheer volume, while a shallow one warms quickly and can turn over its whole water column in a single summer storm. The graded lakes lean eutrophic, with enough nutrient input to support an active algal community and the trade-offs in clarity and dissolved oxygen that come with it. The cleanest county on average is Russell (grade A); the most-stressed is Virginia Beach city. The gap between the top and bottom counties is large enough that a single figure for Virginia lake water quality hides real local variation.
Lake Match
Which lake suits how you actually use one?
Six questions — swimming, fishing, quiet, cabins, drive time — and a shortlist of graded lakes that fit, with the water quality behind each one.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys and the EPA Water Quality Portal.
More on lake water quality
A data snapshot of the lakes we grade: how the A–F distribution breaks down, the clearest and the greenest states, and where the water is improving.
How lakes are graded A–F on nutrients and algae using EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each letter means in the water, and why an A is not a clearance.
The cleanest and dirtiest U.S. lakes in the monitoring record, ranked on EPA nutrient and algae condition classes across thousands of graded lakes.
The clearest lakes in America, ranked by measured Secchi depth in feet from EPA monitoring data — and why the famously clear lakes are missing.