Forked Lake
Carlisle County, KentuckyView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Forked Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Forked Lake in Carlisle County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 48.5 µg/L.
Forked Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Carlisle County, Kentucky. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Carlisle County, Forked Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2021-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Forked 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 Forked Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Forked 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 48.5 µg/L. TSI 60.
| 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 | 48.5µg/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. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
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Fishing Forked Lake
Nearby Lakes in Carlisle County
Frequently asked questions about Forked Lake
Where is Forked Lake?
- Forked Lake is a lake in Carlisle County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Forked Lake?
- Forked Lake in Carlisle County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 48.5 µg/L.
Is Forked Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Forked Lake?
- Public access to Forked Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Forked Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX18 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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.