Horsethief Canyon Lake
Hodgeman County, Kansas452 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Horsethief Canyon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Limited data
Horsethief Canyon Lake in Hodgeman County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 69 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.5 µg/L. Surface area: 452 acres.
Horsethief Canyon Lake is a 452-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Hodgeman County, Kansas. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2016-06-14. 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 Horsethief Canyon 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 Horsethief Canyon Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Horsethief Canyon 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 2.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 69 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 19.5 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 69µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 19.5µg/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. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Horsethief Canyon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
452 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Horsethief Canyon Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Horsethief Canyon Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Horsethief Canyon Lake in Hodgeman 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 Horsethief Canyon Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Horsethief Canyon Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2013–2016). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-12.83 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Horsethief Canyon Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Mpd No. 4-10 (Horsethief Reservoir) (completed 2009), built primarily for recreation on the Buckner Creek; earth-type dam, 88 ft tall and 7,210 ft long.
- Surface area
- 452 ac
- Normal storage
- 6,228 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 52,464 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 206.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- PAWNEE WJD NO 81
All listed purposes: Recreation;Flood Risk Reduction.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS09334 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.16 km)
Nearby Lakes in Hodgeman County
Frequently asked questions about Horsethief Canyon Lake
Where is Horsethief Canyon Lake?
- Horsethief Canyon Lake is a lake in Hodgeman County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Horsethief Canyon Lake?
- Horsethief Canyon Lake in Hodgeman County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 69 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.5 µg/L. Surface area: 452 acres.
Is Horsethief Canyon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Horsethief Canyon Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX10 samples · 2013–2016
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.