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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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on June 28th, 2022. 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 July 1st, 2022 at 5:18 PM.

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Waccamaw Riverkeeper, a program 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 Waccamaw Riverkeeper 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