Lake Atkins
Pope County, Arkansas752 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Atkins. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 43 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Atkins in Pope County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 49.5 µg/L. Surface area: 752 acres.
Lake Atkins is a 752-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Pope County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 43 feet. Overall water quality is improving 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, ADEQ, last sampled 2026-02-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Atkins is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
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 Lake Atkins is safe to swim in today is a call for the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Atkins
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Lake Atkins, 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 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 49.5 µg/L. TSI 67.
| 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 | 70µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 49.5µg/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. | 67 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Atkins
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~43 ft est.
Surface area
752 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Arkansas DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Arkansas has not published bathymetry for Lake Atkins.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
17 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
325 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
- Twin Dikes RoadPublic
- Lucky LandingPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Atkins
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Atkins in Pope County, Arkansas — 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 Lake Atkins are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Atkins
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Lake Atkins
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2023–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-16.2 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Atkins is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Atkins Dam (completed 1946), built primarily for recreation on the Horsehead Branch; earth-type dam, 25 ft tall and 2,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 752 ac
- Normal storage
- 7,760 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 13,928 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 10 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR00271 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Pope County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Atkins
Where is Lake Atkins?
- Lake Atkins is a lake in Pope County, Arkansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by Arkansas DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Atkins?
- Lake Atkins in Pope County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 70 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 49.5 µg/L. Surface area: 752 acres.
Is Lake Atkins safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Atkins?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Atkins, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 43 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 752 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Atkins?
- Lake Atkins has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Twin Dikes Road, Lucky Landing. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Atkins?
- Lake Atkins 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 Arkansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Atkins across LakeQuality
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Hypereutrophic Lakes in Arkansas
Where this data comes from
35 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
ARDEQH2O_WQX35 samples · 2015–2026
Analytical methods
- 4500 P J ~ Persulfate Method for Simultaneous Determination of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory