Briggs Lake
Logan County, Kentucky18 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Briggs Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
Briggs Lake in Logan County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 32.8 µg/L. Surface area: 17.7 acres.
Briggs Lake is a 18-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Logan County, Kentucky. 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 Logan County, Briggs Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2019-09-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Briggs Lake 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. Briggs Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Briggs 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 Briggs Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Briggs 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 32.8 µg/L. TSI 54.
| 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 | 32.8µg/L | Fair 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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Briggs Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
18 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
No bathymetric survey has been published for Briggs Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Briggs 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 Briggs Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Briggs Lake in Logan 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Briggs Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Kentucky’s top lakes →
Follow Briggs Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Briggs Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2016–2019). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+5.23 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Briggs Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Briggs Lake Dam (completed 1945), built primarily for recreation on the Mud River; earth-type dam, 28 ft tall and 300 ft long.
- Surface area
- 17.7 ac
- Normal storage
- 190.7 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 385 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00164 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Briggs 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-320 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Logan County
Frequently asked questions about Briggs Lake
Where is Briggs Lake?
- Briggs Lake is a lake in Logan County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Briggs Lake?
- Briggs Lake in Logan County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 32.8 µg/L. Surface area: 17.7 acres.
Is Briggs Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Briggs Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Briggs Lake?
- Briggs Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Briggs Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Briggs Lake?
- Briggs 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 Briggs Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Kentucky
Other Lakes in Kentucky
Eutrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2016–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX12 samples · 2016–2019
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory