Lake Overholser
Canadian County, Oklahoma1,500 acresView mapDirections
Oklahoma DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Overholser. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Overholser in Canadian County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Surface area: 1500 acres.
Lake Overholser is a 1,500-acre lake in Canadian County, Oklahoma. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ODEQ, last sampled 2023-10-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Overholser is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water1,500 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Overholser is safe to swim in today is a call for the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Overholser
These are the measurements Oklahoma DEQ publishes for Lake Overholser, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility. TSI 76.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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. | 76 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Overholser
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Lake Overholser water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Surface area
1,500 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Oklahoma DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Overholser, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Lake OverholserPublic
- Lake OverholserPublic
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 Overholser
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Overholser in Canadian County, Oklahoma — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Overholser
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Fishing Lake Overholser
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2012–2023).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-49.12 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.58 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Overholser is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Overholser (completed 1919), built primarily for water supply on the N. Canadian River; earth-type dam, 61 ft tall and 17,100 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,500 ac
- Normal storage
- 15,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 31,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 738 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Oklahoma City Water Utilities Trust
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK02537 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Canadian County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Overholser
Where is Lake Overholser?
- Lake Overholser is a lake in Canadian County, Oklahoma. Its water-quality measurements are published by Oklahoma DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Overholser?
- Lake Overholser in Canadian County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Surface area: 1500 acres.
Is Lake Overholser safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Overholser?
- Lake Overholser has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Overholser, Lake Overholser. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Overholser?
- Lake Overholser 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 Oklahoma's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Overholser across LakeQuality
12 mi away · cable-pulled, no boat wake
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Where this data comes from
32 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX32 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
- Determination of Turbidity
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory