American Lake
Pierce County, WashingtonView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · Dioxins
- 33 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
American Lake in Pierce County, Washington is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 19.7 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 19.7 ft
- Max depth
- ~33 ft est.
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch American Lake’s letter
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Why American Lake has no grade
American Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, American Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 19.7-foot median from 5 readings collected 2012–2018 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by WA Ecology and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
American Lake is a lake in Pierce County, Washington with an estimated average depth of about 33 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, WA Ecology, last sampled 2018-07-15. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What American Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water19.7 ft of visibility
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming Safety
Not ratedBacteria advisory
The letter is not a swimming clearance. American Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for dioxins, nuisance exotic species, pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pesticides, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for American Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Crystal clear, you can see 19.7 ft down. TSI 34.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 19.7 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 34 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~33 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~24 ft est. |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Washington has not published bathymetry for American Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- American Lake North ParkPublic
- American LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing American Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.183 m/yr | 5 |
EPA Impairment Status
American Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2018 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WA17110019001225_001_001 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near American Lake
American Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Pierce County
Frequently asked questions about American Lake
Where is American Lake?
- American Lake is a lake in Pierce County, Washington. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for American Lake?
- American Lake in Pierce County, Washington is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 19.7 ft visibility.
Is American Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. American Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for dioxins, nuisance exotic species, pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pesticides, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is American Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers American Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 33 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on American Lake?
- American Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include American Lake North Park, American Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS5 samples · 2012–2018
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory