Bone Creek Lake
Crawford County, Kansas523 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae sit in the clean band for this region.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- #2 of 2 in the county
- 40 ft max depth
- Limited data
Bone Creek Lake in Crawford County, Kansas has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 5.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13 µg/L. Surface area: 523 acres.
- Clarity
- 5.8 ft
- Max depth
- ~40 ft est.
- Area
- 523 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 20 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 13 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Watch Bone Creek Lake’s letter
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Bone Creek Lake is a 523-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Crawford County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 40 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2018. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Crawford County, Bone Creek Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-06-25. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Bone Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Murky, only visible to about 5.8 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 13 µg/L. TSI 52. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 20 µg/L | Not graded |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 13 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 52 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~40 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~11 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 523 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Bone Creek Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Bone Creek Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.283 m/yr | 2 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +2.67 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +2.22 µg/L/yr | 3 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bone Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bone Creek Reservoir (completed 1997), built primarily for water supply on the Bone Creek; earth-type dam, 52 ft tall and 3,150 ft long.
- Surface area
- 523 ac
- Normal storage
- 8,922 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 16,828 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 12.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- PUBLIC WHOLESALE WATER SUPPLY DIST NO 11
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS07835 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Bone Creek Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM043901 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 2 lakes in Crawford County
Nearby Lakes in Crawford County
Frequently asked questions about Bone Creek Lake
Where is Bone Creek Lake?
- Bone Creek Lake is a lake in Crawford County, Kansas. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Bone Creek Lake?
- Bone Creek Lake in Crawford County, Kansas has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 5.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 13 µg/L. Surface area: 523 acres.
Is Bone Creek Lake safe to swim in?
- The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Bone Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bone Creek Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bone Creek Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 40 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 523 acres.
Explore Bone Creek Lake across LakeQuality
More Kansas Lake Rankings
Other Grade B Lakes in Kansas
Eutrophic Lakes in Kansas
Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX10 samples · 2015–2018
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)