John Redmond Lake
Coffey County, Kansas9,671 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for John Redmond Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 72 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
John Redmond Lake in Coffey County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 290 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 28 µg/L. Surface area: 9671 acres.
John Redmond Lake is a 9,671-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Coffey County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 72 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2017-07-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What John Redmond Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Camping3 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water9,671 acres
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. John Redmond Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether John Redmond 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 John Redmond Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for John Redmond 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 1.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 290 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 28 µg/L. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 290µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 28µg/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. | 73 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about John Redmond Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~72 ft est.
Surface area
9,671 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by KDHE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for John Redmond Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3,017 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
22.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,040 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Dam Site CampgroundPublic
- Native RoadPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near John Redmond 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 John Redmond Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near John Redmond Lake in Coffey 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 John Redmond Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near John Redmond 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.
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Fishing John Redmond Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2014–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Stable-1.67 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
John Redmond Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the John Redmond Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Grand Neosho River; gravity-type dam, 87 ft tall and 21,790 ft long.
- Surface area
- 9,671 ac
- Normal storage
- 60,661 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 626,007 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3,015 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Tulsa District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00004 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
John Redmond 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-LM026001 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Coffey County
Frequently asked questions about John Redmond Lake
Where is John Redmond Lake?
- John Redmond Lake is a lake in Coffey County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of John Redmond Lake?
- John Redmond Lake in Coffey County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 290 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 28 µg/L. Surface area: 9671 acres.
Is John Redmond Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. John Redmond Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is John Redmond Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers John Redmond Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 72 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 9671 acres.
Are there boat ramps on John Redmond Lake?
- John Redmond Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Dam Site Campground, Native Road. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at John Redmond Lake?
- John Redmond Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on John Redmond Lake?
- John Redmond Lake has 3 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Riverside West, Riverside East, Dam Site. 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 John Redmond Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
11 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX11 samples · 2014–2017
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles