General Butler State Park Lake
Carroll County, Kentucky31 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for General Butler State Park Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
General Butler State Park Lake in Carroll County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 54.1 µg/L. Surface area: 31 acres.
General Butler State Park Lake is a 31-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Carroll County, Kentucky. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2018-10-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What General Butler State Park Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
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. General Butler State Park Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether General Butler State Park 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 General Butler State Park Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for General Butler State Park 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 54.1 µg/L. TSI 62.
| 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 | 54.1µg/L | Poor 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. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about General Butler State Park Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
31 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
No bathymetric survey has been published for General Butler State Park Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near General Butler State Park Lake
- General Butler State Resort Park Campground0.6 km
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 General Butler State Park Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near General Butler State Park Lake in Carroll 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around General Butler State Park Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near General Butler State Park Lake
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Fishing General Butler State Park Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2013–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Stable-0.33 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
General Butler State Park Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the General Butler State Park Lake Dam (completed 1950), built primarily for recreation on the Kentucky River; earth-type dam, 24 ft tall and 385 ft long.
- Surface area
- 31 ac
- Normal storage
- 250 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 560 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00049 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
General Butler State Park 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-2693 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Carroll County
Frequently asked questions about General Butler State Park Lake
Where is General Butler State Park Lake?
- General Butler State Park Lake is a lake in Carroll County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of General Butler State Park Lake?
- General Butler State Park Lake in Carroll County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 54.1 µg/L. Surface area: 31 acres.
Is General Butler State Park Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. General Butler State Park Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at General Butler State Park Lake?
- Public access to General Butler State Park 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.
Are there campgrounds on General Butler State Park Lake?
- General Butler State Park Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including General Butler State Resort Park Campground. 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 General Butler State Park Lake across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 16.3 mi, nearest Big Clifty Falls
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX12 samples · 2013–2018
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles