Crystal Lake
Anderson County, KansasView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Crystal Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
Crystal Lake in Anderson County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 88.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 72.5 µg/L.
Crystal Lake is a lake in Anderson County, Kansas.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2016-06-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Crystal Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Crystal 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 Crystal Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Crystal 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 1.4 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 88.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 72.5 µg/L. TSI 71.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 88.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 72.5µg/L | Measured, not scored 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 Crystal Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fishing Crystal Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Crystal Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Crystal Lake Dam (completed 1940), built primarily for recreation on the South Fork Pottawatomie Creek-Tr, 30 ft tall and 950 ft long.
- Max storage
- 316.4 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- GARNETT, CITY OF AND KDWP
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS03002 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Crystal 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-LM064901 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Anderson County
Frequently asked questions about Crystal Lake
Where is Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake is a lake in Anderson County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake in Anderson County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 88.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 72.5 µg/L.
Is Crystal Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Crystal Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX5 samples · 2016
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