Barber Co State Fishing Lake
Barber County, Kansas77 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Barber Co State Fishing Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
- 20 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Barber Co State Fishing Lake in Barber County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.5 µg/L. Surface area: 77 acres.
Barber Co State Fishing Lake is a 77-acre lake in Barber County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 20 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2012-06-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Barber Co State Fishing Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Barber Co State Fishing Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO), salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Barber Co State Fishing 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 Barber Co State Fishing Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Barber Co State Fishing Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.9 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.5 µg/L. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Barber Co State Fishing Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~20 ft est.
Surface area
77 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by KDHE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Barber Co State Fishing Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,529 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.
Recreation & Access
- Barber State Fishing Lake-UpperPublic
- Barber State Fishing Lake-LowerPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Barber Co State Fishing Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Barber Co State Fishing Lake in Barber 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Barber Co State Fishing Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Kansas’s top lakes →
Follow Barber Co State Fishing Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Barber Co State Fishing Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Barber Co State Fishing Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Barber State Fishing Lake (completed 1954), built primarily for recreation on the Elm Creek-Tr; earth-type dam, 54 ft tall and 1,325 ft long.
- Surface area
- 77 ac
- Normal storage
- 680 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,900 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.71 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- KANSAS DEPT OF WILDLIFE PARKS & TOURISM
All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00228 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.16 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Barber Co State Fishing Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM013101 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Barber County
Frequently asked questions about Barber Co State Fishing Lake
Where is Barber Co State Fishing Lake?
- Barber Co State Fishing Lake is a lake in Barber County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Barber Co State Fishing Lake?
- Barber Co State Fishing Lake in Barber County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.5 µg/L. Surface area: 77 acres.
Is Barber Co State Fishing Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Barber Co State Fishing Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO), salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Barber Co State Fishing Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Barber Co State Fishing Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 20 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 77 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Barber Co State Fishing Lake?
- Barber Co State Fishing Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Barber State Fishing Lake-Upper, Barber State Fishing Lake-Lower. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Barber Co State Fishing Lake?
- Barber Co State Fishing Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Barber Co State Fishing Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Kansas
Other Lakes in Kansas
Eutrophic Lakes in Kansas
Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX5 samples · 2012
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory