Canton Lake
Blaine County, Oklahoma7,910 acresView mapDirections
Oklahoma DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Canton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
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.
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. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Canton Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water7,910 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. 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.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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. | 71 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Canton Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
7,910 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Oklahoma DEQ
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
Public campgrounds near Canton Lake
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
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Canton Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Canton Lake
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Fishing Canton Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2012–2019).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-4.8 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.2 µg/L/yr2 years
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
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. 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.
Can I fish at Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Oklahoma's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Canton Lake?
- Canton Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Big Bend (ok), Fairview. 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 Canton Lake across LakeQuality
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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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles