Arkdale Lake

Arkdale Lake sits at a C on the grading scale — not impaired, not pristine, with summer measurements that vary year to year. Secchi readings are the weakest of the scored parameters, suggesting suspended sediment or algal biomass dominates the optical signal.

At a TSI of 51, Arkdale Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. At only 11 ft deep, Arkdale Lake is shallow — wind keeps the water column mixed and sediment resuspension drives phosphorus levels harder to manage. Arkdale Lake is small — 46 acres alongside partial shoreline records — which makes it sensitive to even modest changes in watershed runoff or recreational pressure. Within the 19 graded lakes of Adams County, Arkdale Lake sits at rank 16, near the bottom of the county list.

Zebra mussel presence at Arkdale Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Bass fishing is part of the appeal: the species list runs to 3, anchored by largemouth and/or smallmouth bass. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.