Updated Aug 2026
Kansas Lake Water Quality
Water quality grades for 196 monitored lakes across 75 counties.
196 Kansas lakes carry a grade. Most of the input data flows through monitoring run by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which feeds state, federal, and volunteer measurements into the EPA Water Quality Portal. A-grade lakes are scarce in Kansas: about 4% of the dataset. Most lakes here sit in C or D — productive, often shallow, frequently algal in late summer.
The state's lakes lean eutrophic: enough nutrient input to support an active algal community, with 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 Cloud. The gap between the top and bottom counties is large enough that "Kansas lake water quality" hides real local variation.
Grade Distribution
All 196 Kansas lakes in the index: 87 (44.4%) carry an A–F grade and 109 (55.6%) are not rated, because they lack enough recent nutrient or algae sampling to support a letter.
Where to stay near Kansas
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Top-Graded Kansas Lakes
The highest water-quality grades in Kansas — clarity, depth, and A-F grade at a glance.
Lake Map
Explore Kansas Lakes
Kansas reports, fishing & travel
Reservoirs in Kansas
View all 148 reservoirs →148 of 196 Kansas lakes (76%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 99 carry a High or Significant hazard rating. The oldest matched dam dates to 1911.
EPA-Impaired Lakes in Kansas
View all 139 impaired lakes →139 of 196 Kansas lakes (71%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 108 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.
Kansas Fishing & Recreation
Licenses, regulations, records, and where to fish across Kansas.
Counties
All 75 Kansas 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 | AWilson Lake | Russell | A | 8.7 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 2 | ADouglas Co State Fishing Lake | Douglas | A | 9.5 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 3 | APottawatomie State Fishing Lake | Pottawatomie | A | 7.6 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 4 | APottawatomie State Fishing Lake | Pottawatomie | A | 8.3 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 5 | AOsage Co State Fishing Lake | Osage | A | 6.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 6 | AMelvern Lake | Osage | A | 4.8 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 7 | ACedar Creek Reservoir | Bourbon | A | 8.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 8 | AYates Center Reservoir | Woodson | A | 1.6 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 9 | BLake Crawford | Crawford | B | 5.1 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 10 | BGeary Co State Fishing Lake | Geary | B | 4.3 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 11 | BLake Wabaunsee | Wabaunsee | B | 4.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 12 | BLouisburg State Fishing Lake | Miami | B | 3 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 13 | BNew Olathe Lake | Johnson | B | 3.4 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 14 | BMadison City Lake | Greenwood | B | 4.1 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 15 | BParsons Lake | Neosho | B | 2 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 16 | BBone Creek Lake | Crawford | B | 5.8 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 17 | COlathe Lake | Johnson | C | 3 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 18 | CHillsdale Lake | Miami | C | 3.7 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 19 | CCedar Bluff Lake | Trego | C | 5.9 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 20 | CClinton Lake | Douglas | C | 3.8 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 21 | CKanopolis Lake | Ellsworth | C | 2.6 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 22 | CLeavenworth Co State Fishing Lake | Leavenworth | C | 4.3 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 23 | CMission Lake | Brown | C | 1 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 24 | CEl Dorado Lake | Butler | C | 2.8 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
| 25 | CBig Hill Lake | Labette | C | 3.9 ft | Eutrophic | ✓ Public |
25 Lakes Needing Attention
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FAntioch Park Lake | Johnson | F | No recent samples |
| 2 | FBig Eleven Lake | Wyandotte | F | No recent samples |
| 3 | FWater Works Park Lake | Johnson | F | No recent samples |
| 4 | FLeawood Park Lake | Johnson | F | No recent samples |
| 5 | FPierson Lake | Wyandotte | F | No recent samples |
| 6 | FSouth Lake | Johnson | F | No recent samples |
| 7 | FTomahawk Creek Park Lake | Johnson | F | No recent samples |
| 8 | FSar Ko Park Lake | Johnson | F | No recent samples |
| 9 | FKingston Lake Park | Johnson | F | No recent samples |
| 10 | FCentral Park Lake | Shawnee | F | 1.2 ft |
| 11 | FChanute Santa Fe Lake | Neosho | F | 1.8 ft |
| 12 | FSheridan Co State Fishing Lake | Sheridan | F | 1.1 ft |
| 13 | FQuivera Little Salt Marsh Lake | Stafford | F | 0.9 ft |
| 14 | FCheyenne Bottoms Pool | Barton | F | 0.4 ft |
| 15 | FJamestown Wildlife Area Lake | Cloud | F | 0.4 ft |
| 16 | FNorton Lake | Norton | F | 2 ft |
| 17 | FPomona Lake | Osage | F | 2.9 ft |
| 18 | FAugusta Santa Fe Lake | Butler | F | 1 ft |
| 19 | FLovewell Lake | Jewell | F | 1.3 ft |
| 20 | FNeosho Wildlife Area Lake | Neosho | F | 1.7 ft |
| 21 | FEllis City Lake | Ellis | F | 0.7 ft |
| 22 | FCedar Lake | Johnson | F | 1.6 ft |
| 23 | FLake Warnock | Atchison | F | 1.7 ft |
| 24 | FAtchison Co State Fishing Lake | Atchison | F | 2.8 ft |
| 25 | FVeteran'S Lake | Barton | F | 2.3 ft |
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
The top-graded lake in every state we cover, picked grade-first with water clarity as the tie-breaker — plus the states whose winner is still not clean.
State-by-state Secchi champions: the clearest measured lake in each U.S. state we grade, which is not the same as the cleanest nutrient grade.
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.