Lake Thunderbird
Cleveland County, Oklahoma6,070 acresView mapDirections
Oklahoma DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Thunderbird. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Lake Thunderbird in Cleveland County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 59 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 28.7 µg/L. Surface area: 6070 acres.
Lake Thunderbird is a 6,070-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 6 public boat landings. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Cleveland County, Lake Thunderbird ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ODEQ, last sampled 2024-09-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 6,100 acres, Lake Thunderbird is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 6 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lake Thunderbird on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake Thunderbird is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch6 documented ramps
- Big water6,070 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Thunderbird 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 Thunderbird
These are the measurements Oklahoma DEQ publishes for Lake Thunderbird, 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 1.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 59 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 28.7 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 59µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 28.7µg/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 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Thunderbird
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Lake Thunderbird water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Surface area
6,070 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Oklahoma DEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Thunderbird, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Hog CreekPublic
- Little River State ParkPublic
- Post OakPublic
- Little AxePublic
- 132nd AvenuePublic
- Lake Thunderbird BoathouseSemi-private
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 Thunderbird
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Thunderbird in Cleveland 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Lake Thunderbird are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Thunderbird
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 Thunderbird → · more Oklahoma lake trips
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Fishing Lake Thunderbird
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 11 years of monitoring (2012–2022).
Water clarity
Improving11 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.05 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Thunderbird is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Norman Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Little River; earth-type dam, 144 ft tall and 7,260 ft long.
- Surface area
- 6,070 ac
- Normal storage
- 119,600 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 367,467 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 257 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK02504 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Cleveland County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Thunderbird
Where is Lake Thunderbird?
- Lake Thunderbird is a lake in Cleveland 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 Thunderbird?
- Lake Thunderbird in Cleveland County, Oklahoma has water-quality measurements published by Oklahoma DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 59 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 28.7 µg/L. Surface area: 6070 acres.
Is Lake Thunderbird 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 Thunderbird?
- Lake Thunderbird has 6 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hog Creek, Little River State Park, Post Oak, Little Axe, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Thunderbird?
- Lake Thunderbird has 6 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 Thunderbird across LakeQuality
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Eutrophic Lakes in Oklahoma
Where this data comes from
2,276 measurements from 14 monitoring stations, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX2,272 samples · 2012–2024 - Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma (Tribal)
ABSHAWNEE4 samples · 2013
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Determination of Turbidity
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (14)
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-03
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-04
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-01
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-05
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-08
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-06
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-02
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-11
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-07
- OKWRB-LAKES_WQX-520810000020-12
- ABSHAWNEE-TB003A
- ABSHAWNEE-TB002A
- ABSHAWNEE-TB002
- ABSHAWNEE-TB001A
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