Clinton Lake
Douglas County, Kansas7,000 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Clinton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 41 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Clinton Lake in Douglas County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 42 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.9 µg/L. Surface area: 7000 acres.
Clinton Lake is a 7,000-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Douglas County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 41 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 6 public boat landings. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Douglas County, Clinton Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-06-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Clinton Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch6 documented ramps
- Camping3 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water7,000 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Clinton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Clinton Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Clinton Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Clinton Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.8 ft. Phosphorus 42 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14.9 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 42µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 14.9µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Clinton Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Clinton Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~41 ft est.
Surface area
7,000 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by KDHE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Clinton Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
363 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
33.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
873 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.
Recreation & Access
- Clinton Lake-Rock CreekPublic
- Clinton Lake-Coon CreekPublic
- Clinton Lake-3 NorthPublic
- Clinton Lake-3 SouthPublic
- Clinton LakePublic
- Clinton Lake-2Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Clinton Lake
- Overlook Park2.3 kmReserve
- Bloomington East3.5 kmReserve
- Rockhaven Park Campground and Equestrian Area4.6 kmReserve
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 Clinton Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Clinton Lake in Douglas County, Kansas — 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 Clinton Lake
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Fishing Clinton Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2012–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-6.17 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.52 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Clinton Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Clinton Dam (completed 1977), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Wakarusa River; rockfill-type dam, 116 ft tall and 9,250 ft long.
- Surface area
- 7,000 ac
- Normal storage
- 110,400 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 368,700 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 367 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Kansas City District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00026 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Clinton Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM030001 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Douglas County
Frequently asked questions about Clinton Lake
Where is Clinton Lake?
- Clinton Lake is a lake in Douglas County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Clinton Lake?
- Clinton Lake in Douglas County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 42 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.9 µg/L. Surface area: 7000 acres.
Is Clinton Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Clinton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Clinton Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Clinton Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 41 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 7000 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Clinton Lake?
- Clinton Lake has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Clinton Lake-Rock Creek, Clinton Lake-Coon Creek, Clinton Lake-3 North, Clinton Lake-3 South, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Clinton Lake?
- Clinton Lake has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Clinton Lake?
- Clinton Lake has 3 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Overlook Park, Bloomington East, Rockhaven Park Campground and Equestrian Area. 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 Clinton Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Kansas's top lakes, each with its readings
Kansas's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Kansas
Other Lakes in Kansas
Eutrophic Lakes in Kansas
Where this data comes from
15 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX15 samples · 2012–2018
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles