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Reddish sandstone (Upper Triassic; Jordan Lake, North Carolina, USA) 13.jpg
James St. John · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Lakes → North Carolina → Jordan Lake

Jordan Lake

North Carolina · Reservoir impounded 1983 · near Apex

13,940 acres 45 ft deep 4 ft clarity Water D
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5.4SCORE
Survey summary · North Carolina
13,940
Surface acres
45 ft
Max depth
180 mi
Shoreline
4 ft
Typical clarity
216 ft
Elevation
Reddish sandstone (Upper Triassic; Jordan Lake, North Carolina, USA) 13.jpg Reddish sandstone (Upper Triassic; Jordan Lake, North Carolina, USA) 15.jpg Reddish sandstone (Upper Triassic; Jordan Lake, North Carolina, USA) 6.jpg

Photographs of Jordan Lake via Wikimedia Commons. Credit and licence on each image — hover to view, click through to the source.

Jordan Lake covers 13,940 acres in North Carolina and drops to 45 feet at its deepest point. It is a reservoir impounded in 1983 and managed by USACE. Clarity is limited, which is typical of productive fisheries but worth seeing in person if you are swimming daily. Short-term rental posture: Chatham County. Confirm at the municipal level before underwriting rental income.

What stands out

  • Boating
  • Fishing

Watch outs

  • Nutrient-rich water; seasonal algae blooms are possible
  • USACE shoreline permitting — private dock approval is not guaranteed

Score breakdown

WATER RECREATION VALUE ACCESS INVESTMENT
Water 3.9
Recreation 6.4
Value 3.5
Access 6.1
Investment 7.6

Each axis is computed by published formula from this lake's own attributes. How we score.

Water quality grade
Water A
ExcellentClear, low-nutrient water. Typically oligotrophic with high clarity and little seasonal algae.
Water B
GoodHealthy water with moderate clarity. Some seasonal variation, no persistent problems.
Water C
FairProductive water — good fishing, reduced clarity. Algae possible in late summer.
Water D
PoorNutrient-rich or heavily drawn down. Swimmable conditions vary; check before you rely on them.

Computed from measured clarity, trophic state, and drawdown magnitude — not an opinion. See the formula.

Overall score, 1–10
8.0+
ExceptionalStrong on every axis we measure.
7.0–7.9
StrongClearly above average, usually with one standout axis.
6.0–6.9
SolidA good lake with a trade-off worth understanding.
5.0–5.9
MixedReal strengths and real compromises.
Under 5
CompromisedSomething material — volatility, water quality, or access.

Weighted: water 26% · recreation 22% · investment 20% · value 18% · access 14%.

Fishery

Largemouth bassCrappieCatfishEagles

On the water

BoatingFishingCampingBirding
No USGS gauge on this lake. We only publish a station when its own name matches this water body. Nearby gauges on other lakes would look like data and mislead you, so we show nothing instead. Why we do that.
3.00 ft
Gage height
2026-08-04

Gauge history

Daily values from USGS. Loading up to one year.

What the drawdown looks like

Full pool vs winter low · Jordan Lake
5 ft FULL POOL WINTER LOW

The dock sits at full-pool elevation. At low pool the waterline retreats and the reach to navigable water changes. Scale is illustrative; the 5 ft figure is from published operations for this lake.

Where it is

Location

No NHD boundary matched this water body, so the marker shows the mapped centre point.

Depth profile

SURFACE 45 ft max avg 14 ft

Idealized cross-section. Max depth 45 ft, average 14 ft. Depth at a specific dock depends on local bathymetry — verify at the property.

Level behaviour

Level stabilityManaged Typical drawdown5 ft Drawdown seasonWinter Trophic stateEutrophic Typical clarity4 ft Water quality gradeD Elevation216 ft Managing authorityUSACE

Dock & shoreline

Permitting authorityUSACE Wilmington District Wake / speed rulesNo-wake in coves
A dock is never guaranteed. Confirm in writing with USACE Wilmington District that the specific parcel is eligible before you remove contingencies.

Short-term rental posture

Chatham County

Generally permitted, but rules change. Confirm the specific municipality and any HOA covenant.
Model rental income →
Modeled estimates. Market figures are derived from lake attributes and regional patterns, not from MLS data. Treat them as a starting point, not a comp.
$550,000
Median waterfront
$5,894
Per shoreline foot
+11.5%
Year over year
148
Est. inventory
73
Avg days on market
$686
Est. nightly rate

Rental snapshot

Modeled occupancy66% Booked nights / yr173 Gross revenue$129,013 Net operating income$65,272 Yield on median price11.87%
Open the full model →

What a median-priced home on Jordan Lake actually costs to carry, with waterfront-specific line items most calculators omit.

$4,637
All-in per month
$126,450
Cash to close + setup
$12,790
Beyond P&I, tax, insurance
Where the annual cost goes
$55,649 PER YEAR
Principal & interest $34,774 (64%) Maintenance reserve (1.1%) $6,050 (11%) Property taxes $5,775 (11%) Utilities $2,700 (5%) Hazard insurance $2,310 (4%) Shoreline / seawall reserve $960 (2%) Dock maintenance $900 (2%) Winterization / seasonal close $750 (1%)

Annual carry

Principal & interest$34,774
Property taxes$5,775
Hazard insurance$2,310
Flood insurance$650
Utilities$2,700
Maintenance reserve (1.1%)$6,050
Septic service$520
Well & water testing$260
Dock maintenance$900
Winterization / seasonal close$750
Shoreline / seawall reserve$960
Total$55,649
Model your own numbers →

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