Lake Shawnee
Shawnee County, Kansas500 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Shawnee. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Shawnee in Shawnee County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.5 µg/L. Surface area: 500 acres.
Lake Shawnee is a 500-acre lake in Shawnee County, Kansas. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2013-12-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Shawnee is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Shawnee is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Shawnee 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 Shawnee
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Lake Shawnee, 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 4.6 ft. Phosphorus 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 20.5 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 31µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 20.5µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Shawnee
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
500 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by KDHE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Shawnee, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Lake Shawnee ParkPublic
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 Shawnee
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Fishing Lake Shawnee
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2012–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.62 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.44 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Shawnee is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Shawnee (completed 1937), built primarily for recreation on the Deer Creek; earth-type dam, 76 ft tall and 2,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 500 ac
- Normal storage
- 7,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 11,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 9.15 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- SHAWNEE COUNTY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS02554 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Shawnee 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-LM012201 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Shawnee County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Shawnee
Where is Lake Shawnee?
- Lake Shawnee is a lake in Shawnee County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Shawnee?
- Lake Shawnee in Shawnee County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 31 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 20.5 µg/L. Surface area: 500 acres.
Is Lake Shawnee safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Shawnee is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Shawnee?
- Lake Shawnee has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Shawnee Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Shawnee?
- Lake Shawnee 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 Kansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Shawnee across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2013. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX7 samples · 2012–2013
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory