Augusta City Lake
Butler County, Kansas181 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Augusta City Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 54 ft max depth
- Limited data
Augusta City Lake in Butler County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 180 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 48.5 µg/L. Surface area: 181 acres.
Augusta City Lake is a 181-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Butler County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 54 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Butler County, Augusta City Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-07-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Augusta City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Augusta City Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Augusta City Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Augusta City Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 180 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 48.5 µg/L. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 180µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 48.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 73 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Augusta City Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~54 ft est.
Surface area
181 acres
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Augusta City Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,266 ft
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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Augusta City Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Augusta City Lake in Butler County, Kansas — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Augusta City Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Augusta City Lake
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Fishing Augusta City Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2013–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-24.7 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.1 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Augusta City Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Augusta Waterworks Dam (completed 1940), built primarily for recreation on the Elm Creek; earth-type dam, 41 ft tall and 1,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 181 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,358 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,432 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 7.8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- AUGUSTA, CITY OF
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00309 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.22 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Augusta City Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM040001 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Butler County
Frequently asked questions about Augusta City Lake
Where is Augusta City Lake?
- Augusta City Lake is a lake in Butler County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Augusta City Lake?
- Augusta City Lake in Butler County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 180 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 48.5 µg/L. Surface area: 181 acres.
Is Augusta City Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Augusta City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Augusta City Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Augusta City Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 54 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 181 acres.
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX8 samples · 2013–2018
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)