Barnett Lake
White County, Arkansas245 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Barnett Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 36 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Barnett Lake in White County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11.9 µg/L. Surface area: 245 acres.
Barnett Lake is a 245-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in White County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 36 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2026-02-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Barnett Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Barnett Lake
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Barnett Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 11.9 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 11.9µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Barnett Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~36 ft est.
Surface area
245 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Arkansas DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Arkansas has not published bathymetry for Barnett Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
39 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
371 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 Barnett Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Barnett Lake in White County, Arkansas — 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 Barnett Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Barnett Lake
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Fishing Barnett Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2023–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-4.5 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Barnett Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Des Arc Bayou Wid Site 3 (completed 1979), built primarily for recreation on the Des Arc Bayou; earth-type dam, 128 ft tall and 1,150 ft long.
- Surface area
- 245 ac
- Normal storage
- 6,708 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 25,425 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 38.6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR01410 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.5 km)
Nearby Lakes in White County
Frequently asked questions about Barnett Lake
Where is Barnett Lake?
- Barnett Lake is a lake in White County, Arkansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by Arkansas DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Barnett Lake?
- Barnett Lake in White County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 11.9 µg/L. Surface area: 245 acres.
Is Barnett Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Barnett Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Barnett Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 36 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 245 acres.
Can I fish at Barnett Lake?
- Public access to Barnett Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Arkansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Barnett Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
32 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
ARDEQH2O_WQX32 samples · 2023–2026
Analytical methods
- 4500 P J ~ Persulfate Method for Simultaneous Determination of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)