County Lake
Metcalfe County, Kentucky22 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for County Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
County Lake in Metcalfe County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 51.6 µg/L. Surface area: 21.7 acres.
County Lake is a 22-acre lake in Metcalfe County, Kentucky.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2016-10-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
County Lake covers about 22 acres in Metcalfe County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near County Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. County Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether County 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 County Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for County 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 51.6 µg/L. TSI 61.
| 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 | 51.6µg/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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about County Lake
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Lake Details
Surface area
22 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for County Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near County Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near County Lake in Metcalfe County, Kentucky — 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.
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Fishing County Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
County Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Metcalfe Cnty Lake Dam (completed 1970), built primarily for recreation on the Sulfur Creek; earth-type dam, 37 ft tall and 730 ft long.
- Surface area
- 21.7 ac
- Normal storage
- 233 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 585 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.78 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- METCALFE COUNTY FISCAL COURT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00273 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.06 km)
EPA Impairment Status
County 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-552 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Metcalfe County
Frequently asked questions about County Lake
Where is County Lake?
- County Lake is a lake in Metcalfe County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of County Lake?
- County Lake in Metcalfe County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 51.6 µg/L. Surface area: 21.7 acres.
Is County Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. County Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX6 samples · 2016
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