Dierks Lake
Howard County, Arkansas1,360 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Dierks Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Dierks Lake in Howard County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.7 µg/L. Surface area: 1360 acres.
Dierks Lake is a 1,360-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Howard County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Howard County, Dierks Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2019-08-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Dierks Lake covers about 1,400 acres in Howard County. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Dierks Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Dierks Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Camping3 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water1,360 acres
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Dierks Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Dierks Lake
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Dierks 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 4.4 ft. Phosphorus 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 19.7 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 40µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 19.7µg/L | Poor 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 Dierks Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~50 ft est.
Surface area
1,360 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Arkansas DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Arkansas has not published bathymetry for Dierks Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
111 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
21.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
541 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
- Jefferson Ridge (East)Public
- Blue RidgePublic
- Jefferson Ridge (West)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Dierks Lake
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 Dierks Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Dierks Lake in Howard County, Arkansas — 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Dierks Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Dierks Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Dierks Lake → · more Arkansas lake trips
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Fishing Dierks Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2012–2019).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.6 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.11 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Dierks Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Dierks Dam (completed 1975), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Saline; rockfill-type dam, 153 ft tall and 2,469 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,360 ac
- Normal storage
- 29,700 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 159,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 114 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Little Rock District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR01202 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Howard County
Frequently asked questions about Dierks Lake
Where is Dierks Lake?
- Dierks Lake is a lake in Howard County, Arkansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by Arkansas DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Dierks Lake?
- Dierks Lake in Howard County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 40 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.7 µg/L. Surface area: 1360 acres.
Is Dierks Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Dierks Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Dierks Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 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 1360 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Dierks Lake?
- Dierks Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Jefferson Ridge (East), Blue Ridge, Jefferson Ridge (West). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Dierks Lake?
- Dierks Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Arkansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Dierks Lake?
- Dierks Lake has 3 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Horseshoe Bend (Dierks Lake), Jefferson Ridge, Blue Ridge Park. 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 Dierks Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Arkansas's top lakes, each with its readings
Arkansas's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
187 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2012–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
ARDEQH2O_WQX187 samples · 2012–2019
Analytical methods
- 4500 P J ~ Persulfate Method for Simultaneous Determination of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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
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