Lake Erling
Lafayette County, Arkansas2,350 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Erling. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 46 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Erling in Lafayette County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 49.2 µg/L. Surface area: 2350 acres.
Lake Erling is a 2,350-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Lafayette County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 46 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Lafayette County, Lake Erling ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2025-10-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Erling is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water2,350 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Erling 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 Erling
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Lake Erling, 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 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 49.2 µg/L. TSI 65.
| 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 | 50µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 49.2µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 65 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Erling
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~46 ft est.
Surface area
2,350 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 Erling.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
401 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
35.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
223 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
- Cummings CampPublic
Showing 1 of 2 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
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 Erling
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Erling in Lafayette County, Arkansas — 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Lake Erling are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Erling
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake Erling → · more Arkansas lake trips
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Fishing Lake Erling
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Erling is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Erling Dam (completed 1956), built primarily for water supply on the Bodcau; rockfill-type dam, 43 ft tall and 4,390 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,350 ac
- Normal storage
- 76,750 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 138,250 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 408 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- The AGRED Foundation
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR00872 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Lafayette County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Erling
Where is Lake Erling?
- Lake Erling is a lake in Lafayette 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 Erling?
- Lake Erling in Lafayette County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 49.2 µg/L. Surface area: 2350 acres.
Is Lake Erling safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Erling?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Erling, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 46 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 2350 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Erling?
- Lake Erling has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Cummings Camp, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Erling?
- Lake Erling has 2 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.
Explore Lake Erling across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
94 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2018–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
ARDEQH2O_WQX94 samples · 2018–2025
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory