Lake Tom Bailey
Lauderdale County, Mississippi250 acresView mapDirections
MDEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Tom Bailey. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
Lake Tom Bailey in Lauderdale County, Mississippi has water-quality measurements published by MDEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L. Surface area: 250 acres.
Lake Tom Bailey is a 250-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Lauderdale County, Lake Tom Bailey ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, your state environmental agency, last sampled 2021-10-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Lake Tom Bailey is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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 Tom Bailey is safe to swim in today is a call for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Tom Bailey
These are the measurements MDEQ publishes for Lake Tom Bailey, 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 2.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 24 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 24µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Tom Bailey
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
250 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by MDEQ
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Tom Bailey, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Lake Tom BaileyPublic
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 Tom Bailey
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Fishing Lake Tom Bailey
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Tom Bailey is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Tom Bailey (completed 1958), built primarily for recreation on the Toomsuba Creek; earth-type dam, 28 ft tall and 4,900 ft long.
- Surface area
- 250 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,166 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,355 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 8.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE FISHERIES AND PARKS
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MS02633 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Lauderdale County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Tom Bailey
Where is Lake Tom Bailey?
- Lake Tom Bailey is a lake in Lauderdale County, Mississippi. Its water-quality measurements are published by MDEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Tom Bailey?
- Lake Tom Bailey in Lauderdale County, Mississippi has water-quality measurements published by MDEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L. Surface area: 250 acres.
Is Lake Tom Bailey 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 Tom Bailey?
- Lake Tom Bailey has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Tom Bailey. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Tom Bailey?
- Lake Tom Bailey 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 Mississippi's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Tom Bailey across LakeQuality
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Eutrophic Lakes in Mississippi
Where this data comes from
57 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-21.
Collected and reported by
- MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
21MSWQ_WQX57 samples · 2020–2021
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory