Laurel Creek Reservoir
McCreary County, Kentucky54 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Laurel Creek Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 20 ft max depth
- Public access
Laurel Creek Reservoir in McCreary County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 54 acres.
Laurel Creek Reservoir is a 54-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in McCreary County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 20 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2023-09-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Laurel Creek Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Laurel Creek Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Laurel Creek Reservoir
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Laurel Creek Reservoir, 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 30 µg/L. TSI 53.
| 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 | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Laurel Creek Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~20 ft est.
Surface area
54 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Laurel Creek Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,184 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
- Laurel Creek ReservoirPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Laurel Creek Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Laurel Creek Reservoir in McCreary County, Kentucky — 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 Laurel Creek Reservoir
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 whole trip? See where to stay at Kentucky’s top lakes →
Follow Laurel Creek Reservoir’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Laurel Creek Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2015–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Laurel Creek Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Laurel Creek Lake Dam (completed 1987), built primarily for water supply on the Marsh Creek; earth-type dam, 43 ft tall and 360 ft long.
- Surface area
- 54 ac
- Normal storage
- 710 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,900 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.66 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- MCCREARY COUNTY WATER DISTRICT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00328 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in McCreary County
Frequently asked questions about Laurel Creek Reservoir
Where is Laurel Creek Reservoir?
- Laurel Creek Reservoir is a lake in McCreary County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Laurel Creek Reservoir?
- Laurel Creek Reservoir in McCreary County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 54 acres.
Is Laurel Creek Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Laurel Creek Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Laurel Creek Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 20 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 54 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Laurel Creek Reservoir?
- Laurel Creek Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Laurel Creek Reservoir. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Laurel Creek Reservoir?
- Laurel Creek Reservoir 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 Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Laurel Creek Reservoir across LakeQuality
4 documented falls within 24.6 mi, nearest Yahoo Falls
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Kentucky's top lakes, each with its readings
Kentucky's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Kentucky
Other Lakes in Kentucky
Eutrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
21 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2015–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX21 samples · 2015–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory