Lake Crawford
Crawford County, KansasView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Crawford. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 40 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Crawford in Crawford County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.7 µg/L.
Lake Crawford is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Crawford County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 40 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Crawford County, Lake Crawford ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-06-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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 Crawford is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Crawford is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Crawford
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Lake Crawford, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.1 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 12.7 µg/L. TSI 52.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.1ft | Measured, not scored 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) | 12.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 52 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Crawford
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~40 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by KDHE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Lake Crawford.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
89 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
958 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.
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Stays near Lake Crawford
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Fishing Lake Crawford
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2012–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.58 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Crawford is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Crawford County State Lake (completed 1935), built primarily for recreation on the West Fork Dry Wood Creek; earth-type dam, 64 ft tall and 1,300 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 3,470 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,136 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- KANSAS DEPT OF WILDLIFE PARKS & TOURISM
All listed purposes: Recreation;Other;Fish and Wildlife Pond.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00869 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.06 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Crawford is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM011101 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Crawford County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Crawford
Where is Lake Crawford?
- Lake Crawford is a lake in Crawford County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Crawford?
- Lake Crawford in Crawford County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 12.7 µg/L.
Is Lake Crawford safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Crawford is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Crawford?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Crawford, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 40 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Lake Crawford?
- Public access to Lake Crawford is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Crawford across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX8 samples · 2012–2018
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)