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LakeQuality

Moline Reservoir

Elk County, Kansas185 acresView mapDirections

NR
Not rated

Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
1.7 ft
Secchi · sampled 2017
Max depth
~38 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
  • 38 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Moline Reservoir in Elk County, Kansas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 39.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17 µg/L. Surface area: 185 acres.

Clarity
1.7 ft
Max depth
~38 ft est.
Area
185 acres
Phosphorus
39.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
17 µg/L
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Why Moline Reservoir has no grade

We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Moline Reservoir, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). Sampling here has recorded water clarity, phosphorus and algae (chlorophyll-a).

Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.

Sampling is run by KDHE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.

Moline Reservoir is a 185-acre lake in Elk County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 38 feet.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2017-06-26. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Moline Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

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Water quality measurements for Moline Reservoir

These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.

Very murky, less than 1.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 39.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 17 µg/L. TSI 62.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)1.7 ftNot graded
Phosphorus39.5 µg/LNot graded
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)17 µg/LNot graded
Trophic State Index (TSI)62Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~38 ft est.
Average Depth~11 ft est.
Surface Area185 acres

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Moline Reservoir.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
Shoreline
2.9 mi
Elevation
1,083 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.

Fishing Moline Reservoir

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Moline Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Mpd No 21 (completed 1983), built primarily for water supply on the Wildcat Creek; earth-type dam, 42 ft tall and 3,400 ft long.

Surface area
185 ac
Normal storage
1,500 ac-ft
Max storage
7,265 ac-ft
Drainage area
7.41 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
MOLINE, CITY OF

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS05314 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.11 km)

EPA Impairment Status

Moline Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM071901 · Official waterbody report

Graded lakes near Moline Reservoir

Moline Reservoir has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.

Nearby Lakes in Elk County

Frequently asked questions about Moline Reservoir

Where is Moline Reservoir?

Moline Reservoir is a lake in Elk County, Kansas. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).

What is the water quality grade for Moline Reservoir?

Moline Reservoir in Elk County, Kansas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 39.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 17 µg/L. Surface area: 185 acres.

Is Moline Reservoir safe to swim in?

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Moline Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Moline Reservoir?

No published bathymetric survey covers Moline Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 38 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 185 acres.

Where this data comes from

5 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 Environment21KAN001_WQX5 samples · 2017

Analytical methods

  • Depth, Secchi disk depth
  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)