Lake Carl Blackwell
Payne County, Oklahoma3,370 acresView mapDirections
Oklahoma DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Carl Blackwell. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 78 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ask about Lake Carl Blackwell
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Carl Blackwell in Payne County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 3370 acres.
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Lake Carl Blackwell is a 3,370-acre lake in Payne County, Oklahoma with an estimated average depth of about 78 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, ODEQ, last sampled 2021-09-28. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Lake Carl Blackwell is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water3,370 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Carl Blackwell is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Carl Blackwell 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 Lake Carl Blackwell
These are the measurements Oklahoma DEQ publishes for Lake Carl Blackwell, 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 1.8 ft of visibility. TSI 69.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.8 ft | Measured, not scored |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 69 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~78 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~39 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 3,370 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Oklahoma has not published bathymetry for Lake Carl Blackwell.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- West Lakeview RoadPublic
- Sunset BayPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Lake Carl Blackwell
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +2 m/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Carl Blackwell is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Carl Blackwell (completed 1937), built primarily for water supply on the Stillwater Creek; earth-type dam, 72 ft tall and 4,300 ft long.
- Surface area
- 3,370 ac
- Normal storage
- 61,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 119,040 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 75.4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Oklahoma State University - Facilities Management
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK01388 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Carl Blackwell is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OK620900040280_00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Payne County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Carl Blackwell
Where is Lake Carl Blackwell?
- Lake Carl Blackwell is a lake in Payne County, Oklahoma. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oklahoma DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Carl Blackwell?
- Lake Carl Blackwell in Payne County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Surface area: 3370 acres.
Is Lake Carl Blackwell safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Carl Blackwell is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Carl Blackwell?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Carl Blackwell, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 78 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 3370 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Carl Blackwell?
- Lake Carl Blackwell has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include West Lakeview Road, Sunset Bay. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Lake Carl Blackwell across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
24 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2016–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX24 samples · 2016–2021
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
- Determination of Turbidity
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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