Lake Blythe
Christian County, Kentucky89 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Blythe. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 33 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Blythe in Christian County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Surface area: 89.2 acres.
Lake Blythe is a 89-acre mesotrophic lake in Christian County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 33 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Christian County, Lake Blythe ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2019-09-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Blythe covers about 89 acres in Christian County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Blythe, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lake Blythe is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. Lake Blythe is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Blythe 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 Lake Blythe
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Lake Blythe, 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 22 µg/L. TSI 49.
| 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 | 22µg/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. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Blythe
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~33 ft est.
Surface area
89 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 Lake Blythe.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
597 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
- Lake BlythePublic
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 Blythe
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Blythe in Christian 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 Lake Blythe
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Lake Blythe’s readings
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Fishing Lake Blythe
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2015–2019). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.3 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Blythe is a man-made reservoir impounded by the North Fork Little River Mps 5 (completed 1962), built primarily for recreation on the North Fork of Little River; earth-type dam, 53 ft tall and 800 ft long.
- Surface area
- 89.2 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,313 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.42 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF HOPKINSVILLE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00212 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Blythe is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-301 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Christian County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Blythe
Where is Lake Blythe?
- Lake Blythe is a lake in Christian County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Blythe?
- Lake Blythe in Christian County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Surface area: 89.2 acres.
Is Lake Blythe safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Blythe is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Blythe?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Blythe, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 33 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 89.2 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Blythe?
- Lake Blythe has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Blythe. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Blythe?
- Lake Blythe has 1 documented boat landing 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.
Explore Lake Blythe across LakeQuality
More lakes in Kentucky
Other Lakes in Kentucky
Mesotrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2015–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX12 samples · 2015–2019
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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