Lake Catherine
Garland County, Arkansas6,897 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- 19 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Catherine in Garland County, Arkansas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Surface area: 6897 acres.
- Clarity
- 6 ft
- Max depth
- ~19 ft est.
- Area
- 6,897 acres
- Phosphorus
- 29 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 3.1 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
- Public access
- Yes
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Stays near Lake Catherine
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Watch Lake Catherine’s letter
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Why Lake Catherine has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Lake Catherine, the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity. Sampling here has recorded water clarity, phosphorus and algae (chlorophyll-a).
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by ADEQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Lake Catherine is a 6,897-acre lake in Garland County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 19 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2019-04-23. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Lake Catherine is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water6,897 acres
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Lake Catherine
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft. Phosphorus 29 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.1 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 29 µg/L | Not graded |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.1 µg/L | Not graded |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 49 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~19 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~18 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 6,897 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
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 Catherine.
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
- Carpenter Dam ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Lake Catherine
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 7 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | +0.131 m/yr | 4 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +0.48 µg/L/yr | 6 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +0.87 µg/L/yr | 7 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Catherine is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Carpenter (completed 1932), built primarily for hydroelectric on the Ouachita River; gravity-type dam, 110 ft tall and 1,165 ft long.
- Surface area
- 6,897 ac
- Normal storage
- 183,160 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 235,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,441 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Entergy Arkansas, Inc.
All listed purposes: Hydroelectric;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR00534 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.52 km)
Graded lakes near Lake Catherine
Lake Catherine has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Garland County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Catherine
Where is Lake Catherine?
- Lake Catherine is a lake in Garland County, Arkansas. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Lake Catherine?
- Lake Catherine in Garland County, Arkansas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 29 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.1 µg/L. Surface area: 6897 acres.
Is Lake Catherine safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Catherine?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Catherine, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 19 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 6897 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Catherine?
- Lake Catherine has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Carpenter Dam Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Lake Catherine across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Hot Springs?
Lake Catherine is about 6 miles from Hot Springs National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Hot Springs →More Arkansas Lake Rankings
Other Lakes in Arkansas
Mesotrophic Lakes in Arkansas
Where this data comes from
44 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
ARDEQH2O_WQX44 samples · 2012–2019
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
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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