Beaver Lake
Carroll County, Arkansas28,220 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Beaver Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Public access
Beaver Lake in Carroll County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.2 µg/L. Surface area: 28220 acres.
Beaver Lake is a 28,220-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Carroll County, Arkansas. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 7 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Carroll County, Beaver Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2023-11-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 28,000 acres, Beaver Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 7 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Beaver Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Beaver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water20.3 ft of visibility
- Boat launch7 documented ramps
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water28,220 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Beaver 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 Beaver Lake
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Beaver Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 20.3 ft down. Phosphorus 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.2 µg/L. TSI 31.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 20.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.2µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 31 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Beaver Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
28,220 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Arkansas DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Beaver Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Cobble LanePublic
- HogscaldPublic
- StarkeyPublic
- Dicks CreekPublic
- Lost Bridge (South)Public
- Starkey MarinaSemi-private
Showing 6 of 7 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Beaver Lake
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Beaver Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Beaver Lake in Carroll 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Beaver Lake
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Beaver Lake → · more Arkansas lake trips
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Fishing Beaver Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 11 years of monitoring (2012–2022).
Water clarity
Improving11 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.63 µg/L/yr10 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.01 µg/L/yr10 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Beaver Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Beaver Dam (completed 1963), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the White; concrete-type dam, 228 ft tall and 720 ft long.
- Surface area
- 28,220 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,652,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,952,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,186 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Little Rock District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Hydroelectric;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR00174 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Carroll County
Frequently asked questions about Beaver Lake
Where is Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake is a lake in Carroll County, Arkansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by Arkansas DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake in Carroll County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.2 µg/L. Surface area: 28220 acres.
Is Beaver Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake has 7 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Cobble Lane, Hogscald, Starkey, Dicks Creek, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake has 7 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
Are there campgrounds on Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Dam Site River (beaver Lake), Starkey Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Beaver Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Arkansas's top lakes, each with its readings
Arkansas's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Arkansas
Other Lakes in Arkansas
Oligotrophic Lakes in Arkansas
Where this data comes from
351 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Arkansas Water Science Center
USGS-AR351 samples · 2012–2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
- Pigments, algae, EPA445.0 w/ACTN
- HACH, sensor model 2100 AN, R-On
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles