Caesar Creek Lake
Warren County, Ohio2,830 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 66 ft max depth
- Public access
Caesar Creek Lake in Warren County, Ohio has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 3.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.9 µg/L. Surface area: 2830 acres.
- Clarity
- 3.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~66 ft est.
- Area
- 2,830 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 25 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 19.9 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Caesar Creek Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Caesar Creek Lake in Warren County, Ohio — 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Caesar Creek Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Caesar Creek Lake
Prices for Sep 11–13, 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 Caesar Creek Lake → · more Ohio lake trips
Watch Caesar Creek Lake’s letter
Email me if this lake’s grade moves. Grades stay free.
Or email
Caesar Creek Lake is a 2,830-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Warren County, Ohio with an estimated average depth of about 66 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 2 sampling years through 2021. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 6 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Ohio EPA, last sampled 2021-10-18. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Caesar Creek Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch6 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
- Big water2,830 acres
Caesar Creek Lake Water Quality Report Card (2026)
A printable one-page report card for Caesar Creek Lake: grade, clarity, phosphorus, algae, multi-year trend, depth, and fish — with sources.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
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 D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Caesar Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, other cause. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 25 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 19.9 µg/L. TSI 57. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 25 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 19.9 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 57 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:45 PM from gauge 03242340 (Caesar Creek Lake at Wellman OH). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Caesar Creek Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~66 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 2,830 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Ohio has not published bathymetry for Caesar 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.
Recreation & Access
- Caesar Creek State Park - Campground RampPublic
- Caesar Creek State Park - Compton Boat LaunchPublic
- Caesar Creek State Park - Furnace Shores RampPublic
- Caesar Creek State Park - North Pool Hand Launch RampPublic
- Caesar Creek State Park - North Pool RampPublic
- Caesar Creek State Park - Wellman Meadows RampPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Caesar Creek Lake
- Caesar Creek State Park Campground3.2 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Fishing Caesar Creek Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.2 m/yr | 2 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +10 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +17.4 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Caesar Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Caesar Creek Dam (completed 1976), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the CAESAR CREEK; rockfill-type dam, 180 ft tall and 2,650 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,830 ac
- Normal storage
- 102,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 242,200 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 237 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Louisville District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OH00927 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Caesar 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
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OH050902020406 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (2.96 km)
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Caesar Creek Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Caesar Creek Flea MarketWilmington · 3.7 mi away · NPDES OH0072575Recent violation
- Shell Food MartWilmington · 4.2 mi away · NPDES OH0151633Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Warren County
Nearby Lakes in Warren County
Frequently asked questions about Caesar Creek Lake
Where is Caesar Creek Lake?
- Caesar Creek Lake is a lake in Warren County, Ohio. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Caesar Creek Lake?
- Caesar Creek Lake in Warren County, Ohio has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 3.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 25 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.9 µg/L. Surface area: 2830 acres.
Is Caesar Creek Lake safe to swim in?
- The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Caesar Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, other cause. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Caesar Creek Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Caesar Creek Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 66 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 2830 acres.
What is the water level at Caesar Creek Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Caesar Creek Lake is 848.9 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:45 PM at gauge 03242340. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Caesar Creek Lake?
- Caesar Creek Lake has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Caesar Creek State Park - Campground Ramp, Caesar Creek State Park - Compton Boat Launch, Caesar Creek State Park - Furnace Shores Ramp, Caesar Creek State Park - North Pool Hand Launch Ramp, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Are there campgrounds on Caesar Creek Lake?
- Caesar Creek Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Caesar Creek State Park Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Caesar Creek Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Ohio's top lakes, each with its grade
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ohio's cleanest and most-polluted lakes, ranked
More Ohio Lake Rankings
Other Grade D Lakes in Ohio
Eutrophic Lakes in Ohio
Where this data comes from
144 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Ohio Water Science Center
USGS-OH144 samples · 2020–2021
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
- YSI EXO turbidity sensor, FNU
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles