Kirwin Lake
Phillips County, Kansas10,640 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Kirwin Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 71 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Kirwin Lake in Phillips County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.1 µg/L. Surface area: 10640 acres.
Kirwin Lake is a 10,640-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Phillips County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 71 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 2016-08-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 11,000 acres, Kirwin Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Kirwin Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Kirwin Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water10,640 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. Kirwin Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Kirwin 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 Kirwin Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Kirwin Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft. Phosphorus 65.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 16.1 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 65.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 16.1µg/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. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Kirwin Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~71 ft est.
Surface area
10,640 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 Kirwin Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1,396 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
29.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,732 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
- Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge - East Xavier RoadPublic
- Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge - Bluegill PointPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Kirwin Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Kirwin Lake in Phillips 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 Kirwin Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Kirwin 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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Kirwin Lake → · more Kansas lake trips
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Fishing Kirwin Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2015–2016). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+33 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+22.1 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Kirwin Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Kirwin Dam (completed 1955), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the North Fork Solomon River; earth-type dam, 169 ft tall and 12,646 ft long.
- Surface area
- 10,640 ac
- Normal storage
- 99,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 511,757 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,367 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00022 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Kirwin 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-LM011001 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Phillips County
Frequently asked questions about Kirwin Lake
Where is Kirwin Lake?
- Kirwin Lake is a lake in Phillips County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Kirwin Lake?
- Kirwin Lake in Phillips County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 65.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16.1 µg/L. Surface area: 10640 acres.
Is Kirwin Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Kirwin Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Kirwin Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Kirwin Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 71 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 10640 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Kirwin Lake?
- Kirwin Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge - East Xavier Road, Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge - Bluegill Point. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Kirwin Lake?
- Kirwin 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.
Explore Kirwin Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX12 samples · 2015–2016
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.
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