Cave Run Lake
Morgan County, KentuckyView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Cave Run Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
- Limited data
Cave Run Lake in Morgan County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10.6 µg/L.
Cave Run Lake is a lake in Morgan County, Kentucky. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2014-07-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cave Run Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cave Run 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 Cave Run Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Cave Run 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 10.6 µg/L. TSI 38.
| 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 | 10.6µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
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Fishing Cave Run Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Cave Run 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: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-2159 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Morgan County
Frequently asked questions about Cave Run Lake
Where is Cave Run Lake?
- Cave Run Lake is a lake in Morgan County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cave Run Lake?
- Cave Run Lake in Morgan County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10.6 µg/L.
Is Cave Run Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cave Run Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Cave Run Lake?
- Public access to Cave Run 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.
Explore Cave Run Lake across LakeQuality
3 documented falls within 17.2 mi, nearest Broke Leg Falls
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX4 samples · 2014
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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