Big Creek Reservoir
Jones County, Mississippi150 acresView mapDirections
MDEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Creek Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Big Creek Reservoir in Jones County, Mississippi has water-quality measurements published by MDEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 18.5 µg/L. Surface area: 150 acres.
Big Creek Reservoir is a 150-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Jones County, Mississippi. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Jones County, Big Creek Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2025-10-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Big Creek Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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 Big Creek Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Big Creek Reservoir
These are the measurements MDEQ publishes for Big Creek Reservoir, 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 3.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 18.5 µg/L. TSI 62.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 70µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 18.5µg/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. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Big Creek Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
150 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by MDEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Big Creek Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Big Creek Water ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Big Creek Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Creek Reservoir in Jones County, Mississippi — 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 Big Creek Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Big Creek Reservoir
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Fishing Big Creek Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Big Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Big Creek Water Park Dam (completed 1976), built primarily for flood risk reduction; earth-type dam, 28 ft tall and 2,110 ft long.
- Surface area
- 150 ac
- Max storage
- 2,643 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.48 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- PAT HARRISON WATERWAY DISTRICT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MS03038 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.08 km)
Nearby Lakes in Jones County
Frequently asked questions about Big Creek Reservoir
Where is Big Creek Reservoir?
- Big Creek Reservoir is a lake in Jones County, Mississippi. Its water-quality measurements are published by MDEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Creek Reservoir?
- Big Creek Reservoir in Jones County, Mississippi has water-quality measurements published by MDEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 18.5 µg/L. Surface area: 150 acres.
Is Big Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Big Creek Reservoir?
- Big Creek Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Big Creek Water Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Big Creek Reservoir?
- Big Creek Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Mississippi's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Big Creek Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
32 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21MSWQ_WQX32 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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