Boltz Lake
Grant County, Kentucky92 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Boltz Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 39 ft max depth
- Public access
Boltz Lake in Grant County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 37.3 µg/L. Surface area: 91.8 acres.
Boltz Lake is a 92-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Grant County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 39 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Grant County, Boltz Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2022-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Boltz Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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. Boltz Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Boltz Lake 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 Boltz Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Boltz 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 37.3 µg/L. TSI 56.
| 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 | 37.3µg/L | Poor 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. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Boltz Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~39 ft est.
Surface area
92 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 Boltz Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
846 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.
Recreation & Access
- Boltz LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Boltz Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Boltz Lake in Grant County, Kentucky — 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 Boltz Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Boltz Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Boltz Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2013–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.26 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Boltz Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Boltz Lake Dam (completed 1956), built primarily for recreation on the Eagle Creek; earth-type dam, 62 ft tall and 600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 91.8 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.11 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00032 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Boltz Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-305 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Grant County
Frequently asked questions about Boltz Lake
Where is Boltz Lake?
- Boltz Lake is a lake in Grant County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Boltz Lake?
- Boltz Lake in Grant County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 37.3 µg/L. Surface area: 91.8 acres.
Is Boltz Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Boltz Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Boltz Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Boltz Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 39 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 91.8 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Boltz Lake?
- Boltz Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Boltz Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Boltz Lake?
- Boltz Lake 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 Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Boltz Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
22 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2013–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX22 samples · 2013–2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory