Carpenters Lake
Daviess County, Kentucky62 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Carpenters Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
Carpenters Lake in Daviess County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 43.9 µg/L. Surface area: 62.2 acres.
Carpenters Lake is a 62-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Daviess County, Kentucky. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Daviess County, Carpenters Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2019-09-05. 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. Carpenters Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Carpenters 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 Carpenters Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Carpenters 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 43.9 µg/L. TSI 59.
| 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 | 43.9µg/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. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Carpenters Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
62 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
No bathymetric survey has been published for Carpenters Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Carpenters Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2014–2019). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+9.9 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Carpenters Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Carpenter Lake Dam (completed 1936), built primarily for recreation on the Pup Creek; earth-type dam, 16 ft tall and 325 ft long.
- Surface area
- 62.2 ac
- Normal storage
- 370.8 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 441.4 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.41 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00016 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.34 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Carpenters 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-436 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Daviess County
Frequently asked questions about Carpenters Lake
Where is Carpenters Lake?
- Carpenters Lake is a lake in Daviess County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Carpenters Lake?
- Carpenters Lake in Daviess County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 43.9 µg/L. Surface area: 62.2 acres.
Is Carpenters Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Carpenters Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Carpenters Lake?
- Public access to Carpenters Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
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Where this data comes from
14 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2014–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX14 samples · 2014–2019
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 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