Fishpond Lake
Letcher County, Kentucky32 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Fishpond Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
Fishpond Lake in Letcher County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 31.6 acres.
Fishpond Lake is a 32-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Letcher County, Kentucky. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2023-09-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Fishpond Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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 Fishpond 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 Fishpond Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Fishpond 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 30 µg/L. TSI 53.
| 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 | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Fishpond Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
32 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
No bathymetric survey has been published for Fishpond Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Fishpond LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Fishpond Lake
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Fishing Fishpond Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2013–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+2 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Fishpond Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Fishpond Lake Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for recreation on the Fishpond Creek; rockfill-type dam, 105 ft tall and 385 ft long.
- Surface area
- 31.6 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,037.5 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.56 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- LETCHER COUNTY FISCAL COURT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00042 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Letcher County
Frequently asked questions about Fishpond Lake
Where is Fishpond Lake?
- Fishpond Lake is a lake in Letcher County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Fishpond Lake?
- Fishpond Lake in Letcher County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 31.6 acres.
Is Fishpond Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Fishpond Lake?
- Fishpond Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Fishpond Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Fishpond Lake?
- Fishpond Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Fishpond Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
22 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2013–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX22 samples · 2013–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory