Canton Lake
Blaine County, Oklahoma7,910 acresView mapDirections
Oklahoma DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Canton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Turbidity
- Public access
- Limited data
Ask about Canton Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Canton Lake in Blaine County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Surface area: 7910 acres.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Canton Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Canton Lake in Blaine County, Oklahoma — 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 Canton Lake
Prices for Sep 18–20, 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 Canton Lake → · more Oklahoma lake trips
Follow Canton Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Canton Lake is a 7,910-acre lake in Blaine County, Oklahoma. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ODEQ, last sampled 2023-08-30. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Canton Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water7,910 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Canton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Canton Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Canton Lake
These are the measurements Oklahoma DEQ publishes for Canton Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility. TSI 71.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.6 ft | Measured, not scored |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 71 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 7,910 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
No bathymetric survey has been published for Canton Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Big Bend 1Public
- Big Bend 2Public
- Canton LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Canton Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +5.673 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -4.8 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -2.2 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Canton Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Canton Dam (completed 1948), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the North Canadian River; gravity-type dam, 68 ft tall and 15,140 ft long.
- Surface area
- 7,910 ac
- Normal storage
- 111,310 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 383,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 7,600 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Tulsa District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK10316 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Canton Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OK720500010020_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Blaine County
Frequently asked questions about Canton Lake
Where is Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake is a lake in Blaine County, Oklahoma. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oklahoma DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake in Blaine County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Surface area: 7910 acres.
Is Canton Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Canton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Big Bend 1, Big Bend 2, Canton Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Canton Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Oklahoma
Other Lakes in Oklahoma
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Oklahoma
Where this data comes from
33 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2014–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX33 samples · 2014–2023
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
- Determination of Turbidity
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory