Waccamaw River - Lake Waccamaw Dam

Managed by Winyah Rivers Alliance - Waccamaw Riverkeeper

Lake Waccamaw Dam is managed by North Carolina’s Lake Waccamaw State Park. There is no boat ramp for motorized boats but is accessible to paddlers and anglers. The Waccamaw River begins just below the dam. There is a pedestrian bridge with a fishing platform that connects to the State Park’s Lake Shore Trail creating a 14-mile loop around the lake.

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Water Quality

Meets water quality standards
Current Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on May 31st, 2023. Winyah Rivers Alliance - Waccamaw Riverkeeper updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on June 2nd, 2023 at 11:24 AM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Waccamaw Riverkeeper of Winyah Rivers Alliance partners with Coastal Carolina University's Waccamaw Watershed Academy to monitor water quality in the Waccamaw River Watershed. Monitoring is provided through a collaboration of the two programs to provide weekly sampling during the summer recreation season and sample twice monthly the rest of the year.

Samples are collected on Wednesdays and results are posted once available. The Winyah Rivers Alliance Swim Guide Program uses the EPA water quality criteria for contact recreation for E. coli. Waters are considered healthy when E. coli concentrations are less than 235 MPN/100 mL in freshwater. E. coli is a fecal indicator bacteria used to identify potential health risks for people using the waters for recreation.

Sites are marked green when the last sample was below the criteria of 235 MPN/100 mL. Sites are marked red when the last sample was above the criteria of 235 MPN/100 mL. Sites are marked grey when there are no current results or available information.

The data published here provides a general guide to the health of the Waccamaw River and does not guarantee it is safe for swimming at all times. While E. coli levels in the Waccamaw River are overall low, E. coli levels can change at any time and frequently increase after rain events.

Water Quality Graph