Hiawatha City Lake
Brown County, KansasView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Hiawatha City Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
Hiawatha City Lake in Brown County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 135 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 93 µg/L.
Hiawatha City Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Brown County, Kansas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Brown County, Hiawatha City Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2017-08-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Hiawatha City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pesticides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hiawatha City Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Hiawatha City Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Hiawatha City Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 135 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 93 µg/L. TSI 72.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 135µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 93µg/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. | 72 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Hiawatha City Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Hiawatha City Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hiawatha City Lake in Brown County, Kansas — 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 Hiawatha City Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Hiawatha City Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Kansas’s top lakes →
Follow Hiawatha City Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Hiawatha City Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2013–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+10 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+18.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hiawatha City Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the (completed 1933), built primarily for water supply on the North Fork Wolf River-Tr, 28 ft tall and 300 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 60 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 80 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- HIAWATHA, CITY OF
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS02457 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Hiawatha City Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM011601 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Brown County
Frequently asked questions about Hiawatha City Lake
Where is Hiawatha City Lake?
- Hiawatha City Lake is a lake in Brown County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hiawatha City Lake?
- Hiawatha City Lake in Brown County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 135 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 93 µg/L.
Is Hiawatha City Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hiawatha City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pesticides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Hiawatha City Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Kansas
Other Lakes in Kansas
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Kansas
Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX10 samples · 2013–2017
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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