Little Lake
Brown County, Kansas154 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Limited data
Little Lake in Brown County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 250 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 155 µg/L. Surface area: 154 acres.
Little Lake is a 154-acre lake in Brown County, Kansas. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2017-08-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingRecreation use not supported
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Little Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Little Lake, 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 250 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 155 µg/L. TSI 82.
| 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 | 250µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 155µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 82 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Little Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
154 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Little Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Little Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2013–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-10 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+19.72 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Little Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Mission Lake (completed 1924), built primarily for water supply on the Mission Creek; earth-type dam, 36 ft tall and 1,010 ft long.
- Surface area
- 154 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,070 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,450 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 8.52 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- HORTON, CITY OF
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS02458 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.42 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Little Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM062601 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Brown County
Frequently asked questions about Little Lake
Where is Little Lake?
- Little Lake is a lake in Brown County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Lake?
- Little Lake in Brown County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 250 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 155 µg/L. Surface area: 154 acres.
Is Little Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Little Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX4 samples · 2017
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database