Bullock Pen Lake
Boone County, Kentucky150 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Bullock Pen Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 27 ft max depth
- Public access
Bullock Pen Lake in Boone County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 38.7 µg/L. Surface area: 150 acres.
Bullock Pen Lake is a 150-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Boone County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 27 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2022-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bullock Pen 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. Bullock Pen Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bullock Pen 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 Bullock Pen Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Bullock Pen 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 38.7 µg/L. TSI 57.
| 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 | 38.7µg/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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Bullock Pen Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~27 ft est.
Surface area
150 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 Bullock Pen Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
778 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
- Bullock Pen 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 Bullock Pen Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bullock Pen Lake in Boone 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 Bullock Pen Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Bullock Pen 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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Bullock Pen Lake → · more Kentucky lake trips
Follow Bullock Pen Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Bullock Pen 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+1.78 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bullock Pen Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bullock Pen Lake Dam (completed 1953), built primarily for water supply on the Bullock Pen Creek; earth-type dam, 50 ft tall and 670 ft long.
- Surface area
- 150 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,189 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,640 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00055 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Bullock Pen 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, Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-372 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Boone County
Frequently asked questions about Bullock Pen Lake
Where is Bullock Pen Lake?
- Bullock Pen Lake is a lake in Boone County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bullock Pen Lake?
- Bullock Pen Lake in Boone County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 38.7 µg/L. Surface area: 150 acres.
Is Bullock Pen Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bullock Pen Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bullock Pen Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bullock Pen Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 27 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 150 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Bullock Pen Lake?
- Bullock Pen Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bullock Pen Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bullock Pen Lake?
- Bullock Pen 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 Bullock Pen Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Kentucky
Other Lakes in Kentucky
Eutrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
42 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2013–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX42 samples · 2013–2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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