Gillham Lake
Howard County, Arkansas1,300 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Gillham Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Limited data
Gillham Lake in Howard County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.4 µg/L. Surface area: 1300 acres.
Gillham Lake is a 1,300-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Howard County, Arkansas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Howard County, Gillham Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2019-08-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Gillham Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water1,300 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 Gillham 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 Gillham Lake
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Gillham 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 5.1 ft. Phosphorus 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 14.4 µg/L. TSI 55.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 34µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 14.4µg/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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Gillham Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
1,300 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Gillham Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Gillham 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 Gillham Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Gillham 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 Gillham Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Gillham Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Gillham Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2012–2019).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1.76 µg/L/yr8 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.03 µg/L/yr8 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Gillham Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gillham Dam (completed 1975), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Cossatot; concrete-type dam, 160 ft tall and 900 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,300 ac
- Normal storage
- 33,100 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 221,800 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 271 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 AR01200 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Howard County
Frequently asked questions about Gillham Lake
Where is Gillham Lake?
- Gillham 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 Gillham Lake?
- Gillham Lake in Howard County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 34 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 14.4 µg/L. Surface area: 1300 acres.
Is Gillham Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there campgrounds on Gillham Lake?
- Gillham Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Big Coon Creek, Little Coon Creek 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 Gillham Lake across LakeQuality
22.2 mi away · recorded at 74°F
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Arkansas's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
193 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_WQX193 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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles