Bonita Reservoir
Lauderdale County, Mississippi195 acresView mapDirections
MDEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Bonita Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Bonita Reservoir in Lauderdale County, Mississippi has water-quality measurements published by MDEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.4 µg/L. Surface area: 195 acres.
Bonita Reservoir is a 195-acre mesotrophic lake in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Lauderdale County, Bonita Reservoir ranks #2 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 Bonita 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 Bonita 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 Bonita Reservoir
These are the measurements MDEQ publishes for Bonita Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft. Phosphorus 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.4 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 90µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 54 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Bonita Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
195 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by MDEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Bonita Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Bonita ReservoirPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Fishing Bonita Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bonita Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bonita Number 2 Dam (completed 1992), built primarily for water supply on the Unt of Sowashee Creek; earth-type dam, 60 ft tall and 1,620 ft long.
- Surface area
- 195 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,898 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,900 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF MERIDIAN
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MS03252 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.12 km)
Nearby Lakes in Lauderdale County
Frequently asked questions about Bonita Reservoir
Where is Bonita Reservoir?
- Bonita Reservoir is a lake in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. Its water-quality measurements are published by MDEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bonita Reservoir?
- Bonita Reservoir in Lauderdale County, Mississippi has water-quality measurements published by MDEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 90 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.4 µg/L. Surface area: 195 acres.
Is Bonita 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 Bonita Reservoir?
- Bonita Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bonita Reservoir. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bonita Reservoir?
- Bonita 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 Bonita Reservoir across LakeQuality
More lakes in Mississippi
Other Lakes in Mississippi
Mesotrophic Lakes in Mississippi
Where this data comes from
42 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_WQX42 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