Milford Lake
Clay County, KansasView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Milford Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Public access
Milford Lake in Clay County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 610 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 35.3 µg/L.
Milford Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Clay County, Kansas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 9 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2023-11-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Milford Lake has 9 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Milford Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Milford Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch9 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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 Milford 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 Milford Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Milford Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 610 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 35.3 µg/L. TSI 78.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 610µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 35.3µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 78 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Milford Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Recreation & Access
- Dam Site SouthPublic
- Milford State ParkPublic
- Milford Lake State Park MarinaPublic
- Curtis Creek Public Use AreaPublic
- Curtis Creek Road (Point)Public
- Rolling HIlls Public Use Area - WestPublic
Showing 6 of 9 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Milford Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Milford Lake in Clay County, Kansas — 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 Milford Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Milford Lake
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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Milford Lake → · more Kansas lake trips
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Fishing Milford Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2022).
Water clarity
Improving6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+11.8 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+19.51 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Clay County
Frequently asked questions about Milford Lake
Where is Milford Lake?
- Milford Lake is a lake in Clay County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Milford Lake?
- Milford Lake in Clay County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 610 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 35.3 µg/L.
Is Milford Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Milford Lake?
- Milford Lake has 9 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Dam Site South, Milford State Park, Milford Lake State Park Marina, Curtis Creek Public Use Area, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Milford Lake?
- Milford Lake has 9 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Milford Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Kansas's top lakes, each with its readings
Kansas's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Other Lakes in Kansas
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Kansas
Where this data comes from
1,070 measurements from 82 monitoring stations, 2012–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Kansas Water Science Center
USGS-KS1,056 samples · 2015–2023 - Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX14 samples · 2012–2018
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus, wu, microKJ ASF, H+
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
- YSI EXO turbidity sensor, FNU
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (82)
- USGS-391259097001800
- USGS-391135096572700
- USGS-391009096553700
- USGS-391147096595300
- USGS-391225096574100
- USGS-391005096545800
- USGS-390448096555500
- USGS-391240096593800
- USGS-391106096565700
- USGS-391109096585800
- USGS-390435096540200
- USGS-391340097003400
- USGS-390610096555500
- USGS-391306096590000
- USGS-390533096552700
- USGS-390804096555000
- USGS-391116096550500
- USGS-391149096582300
- USGS-391128096564200
- USGS-391332097001100
- USGS-390416096544600
- USGS-390734096543800
- USGS-390910096543300
- USGS-391207096565500
- USGS-391108096554600
- +57 more
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory