Lake Winona
Saline County, Arkansas1,280 acresView mapDirections
Arkansas DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Winona. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 64 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Winona in Saline County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 1280 acres.
Lake Winona is a 1,280-acre mesotrophic lake in Saline County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 64 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Saline County, Lake Winona ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2022-12-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Winona covers about 1,300 acres in Saline County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lake Winona, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lake Winona is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water1,280 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Lake Winona is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Winona 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 Winona
These are the measurements Arkansas DEQ publishes for Lake Winona, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.2 ft. Phosphorus 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.1 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lake Winona
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~64 ft est.
Surface area
1,280 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Arkansas DEQ
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Arkansas has not published bathymetry for Lake Winona.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
43 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
11.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
745 ft
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
- Lake WinonaPublic
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 Winona
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Winona in Saline 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Winona
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake Winona → · more Arkansas lake trips
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Fishing Lake Winona
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 11 years of monitoring (2012–2022).
Water clarity
Improving11 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.44 µg/L/yr11 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.14 µg/L/yr11 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Winona is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Winona Dam (completed 1938), built primarily for water supply on the Alum Fork Creek; earth-type dam, 115 ft tall and 2,800 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,280 ac
- Normal storage
- 41,799 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 63,264 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 43 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Central Arkansas Water
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR00001 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Winona is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit AR_08040203_4101 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Saline County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Winona
Where is Lake Winona?
- Lake Winona is a lake in Saline 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 Winona?
- Lake Winona in Saline County, Arkansas has water-quality measurements published by Arkansas DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.1 µg/L. Surface area: 1280 acres.
Is Lake Winona safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Winona is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Winona?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Winona, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 64 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 1280 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Winona?
- Lake Winona has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Winona. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Winona?
- Lake Winona 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 Arkansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake Winona across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Hot Springs?
Lake Winona is about 22 miles from Hot Springs National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Hot Springs →More lakes in Arkansas
Other Lakes in Arkansas
Mesotrophic Lakes in Arkansas
Where this data comes from
697 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2012–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Arkansas Water Science Center
USGS-AR697 samples · 2012–2022
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
- HACH, sensor model 2100 AN, R-On
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory