Lake
Thurston County, WashingtonView mapDirections
Washington Ecology publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Nuisance exotic species
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake in Thurston County, Washington has water-quality measurements published by Washington Ecology, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.1 µg/L.
Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Thurston County, Washington with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 15 other monitored lakes in Thurston County, Lake ranks #9 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, WA Ecology, last sampled 2023-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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 is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Washington State Department of Ecology and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake
These are the measurements Washington Ecology publishes for Lake, 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 20.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.1 µg/L. TSI 48.
| 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 | 20.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.1µg/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. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Washington Ecology
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Washington has not published bathymetry for Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
133 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
154 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
- Hicks LakePublic
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
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake in Thurston County, Washington — 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 are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake
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 → · more Washington lake trips
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Fishing Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 10 years of monitoring (2012–2025).
Phosphorus
Stable+0.14 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.49 µg/L/yr9 years
EPA Impairment Status
Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2018 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4C).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WA17110019001250_001_001 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Thurston County
Frequently asked questions about Lake
Where is Lake?
- Lake is a lake in Thurston County, Washington. Its water-quality measurements are published by Washington Ecology and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake?
- Lake in Thurston County, Washington has water-quality measurements published by Washington Ecology, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.1 µg/L.
Is Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4C) for nuisance exotic species. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Lake?
- Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hicks Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake?
- Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Washington's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Washington
Mesotrophic Lakes in Washington
Where this data comes from
107 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Thurston County Health Department
THURSTONCOUNTY107 samples · 2012–2023
Analytical methods
- External files contain methodological data
- Total Nitrogen, calculated (TKN + Nitrate/Nitrite)
- Fluorometric determination of chlorophyll a in presence of pheophytin
- Nitrogen, Persulfate Method
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory