Caneyville Reservoir
Grayson County, Kentucky77 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Caneyville Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 32 ft max depth
- Limited data
Caneyville Reservoir in Grayson County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 57.5 µg/L. Surface area: 77 acres.
Caneyville Reservoir is a 77-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Grayson County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 32 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2019-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Caneyville Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Caneyville Reservoir 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 Caneyville Reservoir
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Caneyville Reservoir, 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 57.5 µg/L. TSI 63.
| 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 | 57.5µg/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. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Caneyville Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~32 ft est.
Surface area
77 acres
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Caneyville Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
495 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Caneyville Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Caneyville Reservoir in Grayson 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 Caneyville Reservoir
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 Caneyville Reservoir’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Caneyville Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Caneyville Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Caney Creek Mps 2 (completed 1965), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Caney Creek; earth-type dam, 34 ft tall and 672 ft long.
- Surface area
- 77 ac
- Normal storage
- 578 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,167 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5.78 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- CITY OF CANEYVILLE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00206 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.34 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Caneyville Reservoir 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-426 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Grayson County
Frequently asked questions about Caneyville Reservoir
Where is Caneyville Reservoir?
- Caneyville Reservoir is a lake in Grayson County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Caneyville Reservoir?
- Caneyville Reservoir in Grayson County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 57.5 µg/L. Surface area: 77 acres.
Is Caneyville Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Caneyville Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Caneyville Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Caneyville Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 32 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 77 acres.
Explore Caneyville Reservoir across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Mammoth Cave?
Caneyville Reservoir is about 25 miles from Mammoth Cave National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Mammoth Cave →More lakes in Kentucky
Other Lakes in Kentucky
Eutrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX8 samples · 2019
Analytical methods
- 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)