Carter County Lake Quality
Kentucky, 3 lakes, average grade B (Good)
Carter County holds 3 monitored lakes. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. 2 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. With an average grade of B, Carter County sits comfortably above the Kentucky median.
Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Grayson Lake (B) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Carter County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Grayson Lake — or check the official Kentucky fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Carter County
3 lakes · 2 graded, 1 not rated2 graded lakes · 1 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BGrayson LakeCarter | B | No recent samples | 18 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 2 | CSmoky Valley LakeCarter | C | No recent samples | 30 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| NRSmoky Valley LakeCarter | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
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Other Counties in Kentucky
See how Carter County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.