Lake Columbia
Columbia County, Arkansas2,751 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Columbia. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 56 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Columbia in Columbia County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17.5 µg/L. Surface area: 2751 acres.
Lake Columbia is a 2,751-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Columbia County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 56 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2025-10-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Columbia is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water2,751 acres
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 Columbia is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Columbia 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 Columbia
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Lake Columbia, 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 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 17.5 µg/L. TSI 53.
| 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 | 20µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 17.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Columbia
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~56 ft est.
Surface area
2,751 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 Columbia.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
48 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
16.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
272 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
- Columbia Lake (North)Public
- Columbia Lake (South)Public
- Columbia Lake (East)Public
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 Columbia
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Fishing Lake Columbia
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-9.35 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Columbia is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Columbia Dam (completed 1986), built primarily for water supply on the Beech Creek; earth-type dam, 40 ft tall and 6,400 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,751 ac
- Normal storage
- 28,787 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 66,063 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 46 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Columbia County
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR01478 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Columbia is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit AR_11140203_4011 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Columbia County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Columbia
Where is Lake Columbia?
- Lake Columbia is a lake in Columbia 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 Columbia?
- Lake Columbia in Columbia County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17.5 µg/L. Surface area: 2751 acres.
Is Lake Columbia safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Columbia is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Columbia?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Columbia, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 56 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 2751 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Columbia?
- Lake Columbia has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Columbia Lake (North), Columbia Lake (South), Columbia Lake (East). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Columbia?
- Lake Columbia has 3 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.
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Where this data comes from
63 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
ARDEQH2O_WQX63 samples · 2023–2025
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 (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