Kincaid Lake
Pendleton County, Kentucky179 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Kincaid Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 29 ft max depth
- Public access
Kincaid Lake in Pendleton County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 179 acres.
Kincaid Lake is a 179-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Pendleton County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 29 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, KY DOW, last sampled 2022-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Kincaid Lake covers about 180 acres in Pendleton County. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Kincaid Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Kincaid Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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 Kincaid Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Kincaid Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Kincaid 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. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. TSI 53.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Kincaid Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~29 ft est.
Surface area
179 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Kincaid Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
31 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
623 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
- Kincaid Lake DamPublic
- Kincaid Lake State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Kincaid Lake
- Kincaid Lake State Park Campground0.2 km
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 Kincaid Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Kincaid Lake in Pendleton County, Kentucky — 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 Kincaid Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Kincaid Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2014–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.55 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Kincaid Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Kincaid Creek Dam (completed 1961), built primarily for recreation on the Kincaid Creek; earth-type dam, 66 ft tall and 435 ft long.
- Surface area
- 179 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 12,364 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 30.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00036 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Pendleton County
Frequently asked questions about Kincaid Lake
Where is Kincaid Lake?
- Kincaid Lake is a lake in Pendleton County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Kincaid Lake?
- Kincaid Lake in Pendleton County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 179 acres.
Is Kincaid Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Kincaid Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Kincaid Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 29 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 179 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Kincaid Lake?
- Kincaid Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Kincaid Lake Dam, Kincaid Lake State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Kincaid Lake?
- Kincaid 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 Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Kincaid Lake?
- Kincaid Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Kincaid Lake State Park Campground. 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 Kincaid Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
28 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2014–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX28 samples · 2014–2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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
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