Kaw Lake
Kay County, Oklahoma16,750 acresView mapDirections
Oklahoma DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Kaw Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
Ask about Kaw Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Kaw Lake in Kay County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Surface area: 16750 acres.
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Kaw Lake is a 16,750-acre lake in Kay County, Oklahoma. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ODEQ, last sampled 2024-10-22. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Kaw Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water16,750 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Kaw Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Kaw Lake
These are the measurements Oklahoma DEQ publishes for Kaw 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 2.4 ft of visibility. TSI 65.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 2.4 ft | Measured, not scored |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 65 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 16,750 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
No bathymetric survey has been published for Kaw Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Noc CovePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Kaw Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -95.91 µg/L/yr | 7 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +9.3 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Kaw Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Kaw Dam (completed 1976), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Arkansas River; gravity-type dam, 125 ft tall and 9,466 ft long.
- Surface area
- 16,750 ac
- Normal storage
- 406,540 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,327,160 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6,652 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Tulsa District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Recreation;Hydroelectric;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK20509 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Kay County
Frequently asked questions about Kaw Lake
Where is Kaw Lake?
- Kaw Lake is a lake in Kay County, Oklahoma. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oklahoma DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Kaw Lake?
- Kaw Lake in Kay County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Surface area: 16750 acres.
Is Kaw Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Kaw Lake?
- Kaw Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Noc Cove. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Kaw Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
63 measurements from 5 monitoring stations, 2017–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX63 samples · 2017–2024
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
- Determination of Turbidity
Monitoring station identifiers (5)
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory