Shelby County Lake Quality
Kentucky, 4 lakes, average grade F (Very Poor)
Shelby County has 4 graded lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. The county average is F — the most-stressed bracket in our rubric. Most monitored lakes here show persistent nutrient loading and algal pressure.
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. Guist Creek Lake (D) is the cleanest in the county.
Quick Answers for Shelby County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Guist Creek Lake — or check the official Kentucky fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Shelby County
| Rank | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guist Creek Lake | D | - | 89 µg/L |
| 2 | Nla Lake | D | 3.9 ft | 75000 µg/L |
| 3 | Nla Lake | F | 2.1 ft | 95000 µg/L |
| 4 | Shelby Lake | F | - | 138 µg/L |
Other Counties in Kentucky
See how Shelby County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all 34 states.
Where to stay near Shelby County
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.