Birch Lake
Osage County, Oklahoma1,145 acresView mapDirections
Oklahoma DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Birch Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
Birch Lake in Osage County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Surface area: 1145 acres.
Birch Lake is a 1,145-acre lake in Osage County, Oklahoma. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ODEQ, last sampled 2021-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Birch Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water1,145 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Birch Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Birch Lake
These are the measurements Oklahoma DEQ publishes for Birch Lake, 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 2.3 ft of visibility. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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. | 65 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Birch Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
1,145 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Oklahoma DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Birch Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Birch CovePublic
- Twin CovesPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Birch 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 Birch Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Birch Lake in Osage County, Oklahoma — 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 Birch Lake
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Fishing Birch Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2016–2021). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Birch Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Birch Dam (completed 1977), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Birch Creek; earth-type dam, 97 ft tall and 3,193 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,145 ac
- Normal storage
- 19,225 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 111,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 66 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Tulsa District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK20508 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Osage County
Frequently asked questions about Birch Lake
Where is Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake is a lake in Osage County, Oklahoma. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oklahoma DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake in Osage County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Surface area: 1145 acres.
Is Birch 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 Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Birch Cove, Twin Coves. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Birch Lake?
- Birch 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 Oklahoma's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Birch Cove, Twin Cove Point. 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 Birch Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
36 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2016–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX36 samples · 2016–2021
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
- Determination of Turbidity
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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