Lake Wawasee
Kosciusko County, IndianaView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · PCBs
- 45 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lake Wawasee in Kosciusko County, Indiana is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 5.9 ft
- Max depth
- ~45 ft est.
- Trend
- → Stable
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Watch Lake Wawasee’s letter
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Free interactive depth-contour map of Lake Wawasee, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 75 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Indiana DNR.
Why Lake Wawasee has no grade
Lake Wawasee has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Lake Wawasee is Not Rated — not an F. Its 5.9-foot median from 13 readings collected 2021 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by IDEM and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Lake Wawasee is a lake in Kosciusko County, Indiana with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, IDEM, last sampled 2021-08-10. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Lake Wawasee is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lake Wawasee is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Lake Wawasee
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 5.9 ft. TSI 52.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.9 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 52 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~45 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~11 ft est. |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Indiana has not published bathymetry for Lake Wawasee.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- Wawasee Boat CompanySemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Lake Wawasee
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.62 m/yr | 2 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -2.2 µg/L/yr | 2 |
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Wawasee is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit INJ01P1023_00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
6 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lake Wawasee under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Turkey Creek Regional Sewer DistrictCromwell · 2.9 mi away · NPDES IN0045802Recent violation
- Wawasee PlazaSyracuse · 1.2 mi away · NPDES IN0045225
- Blue Heron Storage CondominiumsSyracuse · 1.4 mi away · NPDES INR10K960
- Wawasee Circuit 12 441 6989 Rebuild ProjectSyracuse · 1.5 mi away · NPDES INRA02749
- Dollar GeneralSyracuse · 1.5 mi away · NPDES INRA03211
- Lake Dalecarlia Regional WasteLowell · 2.9 mi away · NPDES IN0046647
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Kosciusko County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Wawasee
Where is Lake Wawasee?
- Lake Wawasee is a lake in Kosciusko County, Indiana. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Lake Wawasee?
- Lake Wawasee in Kosciusko County, Indiana is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5.9 ft visibility.
Is Lake Wawasee safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Lake Wawasee is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Wawasee?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Wawasee, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 45 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Wawasee?
- Lake Wawasee has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Wawasee Boat Company.
Explore Lake Wawasee across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS13 samples · 2021
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory