Lake Wilson
Washington County, Arkansas190 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Wilson. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
Lake Wilson in Washington County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.4 µg/L. Surface area: 190.2 acres.
Lake Wilson is a 190-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Washington County, Arkansas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Washington County, Lake Wilson ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2023-02-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Wilson covers about 190 acres in Washington County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Wilson, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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 Wilson is safe to swim in today is a call for the Arkansas Division of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake Wilson
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Lake Wilson, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.4 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 20µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.4µg/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. | 49 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Wilson
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
190 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake Wilson, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Wilson
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Wilson in Washington County, Arkansas — 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 Wilson are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Wilson
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Lake Wilson
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 10 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.49 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.62 µg/L/yr7 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Wilson is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wilson Lake Dam (completed 1941), built primarily for recreation on the White River-Tr; earth-type dam, 49 ft tall and 640 ft long.
- Surface area
- 190.2 ac
- Normal storage
- 317.5 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 512.2 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- City of Fayetteville
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR00285 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Washington County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Wilson
Where is Lake Wilson?
- Lake Wilson is a lake in Washington County, Arkansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by Arkansas DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Wilson?
- Lake Wilson in Washington County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.4 µg/L. Surface area: 190.2 acres.
Is Lake Wilson safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Lake Wilson across LakeQuality
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Eutrophic Lakes in Arkansas
Where this data comes from
75 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality
ARDEQH2O_WQX75 samples · 2012–2023
Analytical methods
- 4500 P J ~ Persulfate Method for Simultaneous Determination of Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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.