Hensley Lake
Madera County, California1,570 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from SWRCB for this lake.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Public access
- Limited data
Hensley Lake in Madera County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Surface area: 1570 acres.
Hensley Lake is a 1,570-acre lake in Madera County, California. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2021-12-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Hensley Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water1,570 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hensley Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hensley Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the California State Water Resources Control Board and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Hensley Lake
These are the measurements SWRCB publishes for Hensley 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.
Ask about Hensley Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
1,570 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by SWRCB
No bathymetric survey has been published for Hensley Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Hensley Lake Recreation AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Hensley Lake
- Hidden View Campground0.9 km
- Buck Ridge1.0 kmReserve
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 Hensley Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hensley Lake in Madera County, California — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Hensley Lake
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Fishing Hensley Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hensley Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hidden Dam (completed 1975), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Fresno River; earth-type dam, 184 ft tall and 5,730 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,570 ac
- Normal storage
- 64,298 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 116,727 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 234 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Sacramento District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation;Recreation;Hydroelectric.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID CA10244 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Hensley 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, Fish consumption, Other.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit CAL5393201020020702142618 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Madera County
Frequently asked questions about Hensley Lake
Where is Hensley Lake?
- Hensley Lake is a lake in Madera County, California. Its water-quality measurements are published by SWRCB and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hensley Lake?
- Hensley Lake in Madera County, California has water-quality measurements published by SWRCB, shown here as reported. Surface area: 1570 acres.
Is Hensley Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hensley Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Hensley Lake?
- Hensley Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hensley Lake Recreation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Hensley Lake?
- Hensley 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 California's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Hensley Lake?
- Hensley Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Hidden View Campground, Buck Ridge. 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.
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- California State Water Resources Control Board
CEDEN2 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- SM 4500-P F
- SM 4500-P BE
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles