Beech Fork Reservoir
Powell County, Kentucky61 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Beech Fork Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Beech Fork Reservoir in Powell County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 61.1 acres.
Beech Fork Reservoir is a 61-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Powell County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 34 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2022-09-13. 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 Beech Fork Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Beech Fork Reservoir
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Beech Fork Reservoir, 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. TSI 53.
| 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) | No reading 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. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Beech Fork Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~34 ft est.
Surface area
61 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Beech Fork Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
679 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.
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Fishing Beech Fork Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Beech Fork Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Beech Fork Branch Dam (completed 1988), built primarily for water supply on the Red River; earth-type dam, 51 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 61.1 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,117.6 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,949 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BEECH FORK WATER DISTRICT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY01067 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.4 km)
Nearby Lakes in Powell County
Frequently asked questions about Beech Fork Reservoir
Where is Beech Fork Reservoir?
- Beech Fork Reservoir is a lake in Powell County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Beech Fork Reservoir?
- Beech Fork Reservoir in Powell County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 61.1 acres.
Is Beech Fork Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Beech Fork Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Beech Fork Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 34 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 61.1 acres.
Can I fish at Beech Fork Reservoir?
- Public access to Beech Fork Reservoir is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX18 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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)