Lake Jericho
Henry County, Kentucky137 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Jericho. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 38 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Jericho in Henry County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 43.6 µg/L. Surface area: 137 acres.
Lake Jericho is a 137-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Henry County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 38 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Henry County, Lake Jericho ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2022-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Jericho covers about 140 acres in Henry County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lake Jericho on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake Jericho 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 Jericho is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Jericho is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Jericho
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Lake Jericho, 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 43.6 µg/L. TSI 59.
| 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 | 43.6µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 59 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Jericho
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~38 ft est.
Surface area
137 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Lake Jericho.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
791 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
- Lake Jericho Recreation AreaPublic
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 Jericho
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Jericho in Henry County, Kentucky — 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 Jericho are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Jericho
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 whole trip? See where to stay at Kentucky’s top lakes →
Follow Lake Jericho’s readings
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Fishing Lake Jericho
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2013–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+4.13 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Jericho is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Little Ky River Mps 1 (completed 1967), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Little Kentucky River; earth-type dam, 66 ft tall and 910 ft long.
- Surface area
- 137 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,916 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 8,920 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 10.2 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- HENRY COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00061 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Jericho is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-999 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Henry County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Jericho
Where is Lake Jericho?
- Lake Jericho is a lake in Henry County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Jericho?
- Lake Jericho in Henry County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 43.6 µg/L. Surface area: 137 acres.
Is Lake Jericho safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Jericho is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Jericho?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Jericho, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 38 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 137 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Jericho?
- Lake Jericho has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Jericho Recreation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Jericho?
- Lake Jericho 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 Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Jericho across LakeQuality
2 documented falls within 24.1 mi, nearest Big Clifty Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Kentucky's top lakes, each with its readings
Kentucky's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Other Lakes in Kentucky
Eutrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
20 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2013–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX20 samples · 2013–2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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