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LakeQuality

Lower White Oak Lake

Ouachita County, Arkansas1,000 acresView mapDirections

C
Fair

Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.

↑ up from D at the last regrade

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
No reading
No sample
Max depth
~37 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Improving
3 years of samples
  • Eutrophic
  • #2 of 3 in the county
  • 37 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Lower White Oak Lake in Ouachita County, Arkansas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Chlorophyll-a (algae): 25.9 µg/L. Surface area: 1000 acres.

Max depth
~37 ft est.
Area
1,000 acres
Type
Eutrophic
Chlorophyll-a
25.9 µg/L
Trend
Improving
Public access
Yes
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Lower White Oak Lake is a 1,000-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Ouachita County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 37 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 1 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Ouachita County, Lower White Oak Lake ranks #2 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2025-10-28. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Lower White Oak Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch2 documented ramps
  • Big water1,000 acres

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Get alerts for Lower White Oak Lake

Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)

No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 25.9 µg/L. TSI 63. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)No recent samples
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)25.9 µg/LFair
Trophic State Index (TSI)63Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~37 ft est.
Average Depth~26 ft est.
Surface Area1,000 acres
Public AccessYes

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Arkansas has not published bathymetry for Lower White Oak Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
44 sq mi
Shoreline
12 mi
Elevation
217 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

2
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • White Oak Lake Dam SitePublic
  • White Oak Lake State Park MarinaPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Lower White Oak Lake

Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Chlorophyll-a Improving-8.55 µg/L/yr3

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Lower White Oak Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lower White Oak Dam (completed 1959), built primarily for recreation on the White Oak Creek; earth-type dam, 30 ft tall and 2,837 ft long.

Surface area
1,000 ac
Normal storage
13,160 ac-ft
Max storage
24,675 ac-ft
Drainage area
27.2 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR00633 · Operator website

County Ranking

Ranked #2 of 3 lakes in Ouachita County

Nearby Lakes in Ouachita County

Frequently asked questions about Lower White Oak Lake

Where is Lower White Oak Lake?

Lower White Oak Lake is a lake in Ouachita County, Arkansas. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Lower White Oak Lake?

Lower White Oak Lake in Ouachita County, Arkansas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Chlorophyll-a (algae): 25.9 µg/L. Surface area: 1000 acres.

Is Lower White Oak Lake safe to swim in?

The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Lower White Oak Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Lower White Oak Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 37 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 1000 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Lower White Oak Lake?

Lower White Oak Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include White Oak Lake Dam Site, White Oak Lake State Park Marina. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

31 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Arkansas Department of Environmental QualityARDEQH2O_WQX31 samples · 2023–2025

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)

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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory