Mound City Lake
Linn County, Kansas148 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Mound City Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Noxious aquatic plants
- Limited data
Mound City Lake in Linn County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L. Surface area: 148 acres.
Mound City Lake is a 148-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Linn County, Kansas. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Linn County, Mound City Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2017-08-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Mound City Lake covers about 150 acres in Linn County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Mound City Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Mound City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for noxious aquatic plants, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Mound City 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 Mound City Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Mound City Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.6 ft. Phosphorus 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 24 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 50µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 24µg/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. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Mound City Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
148 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Mound City Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Mound City Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mound City Lake in Linn 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 Mound City Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Mound City 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 whole trip? See where to stay at Kansas’s top lakes →
Follow Mound City Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Mound City Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2012–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-5.8 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+1.54 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Mound City Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Water Supply Lake, built primarily for water supply; earth-type dam, 32 ft tall and 1,450 ft long.
- Surface area
- 148 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,773 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,462 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5.74 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- MOUND CITY, CITY OF
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS07334 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.1 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Mound City 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-LM051401 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Linn County
Frequently asked questions about Mound City Lake
Where is Mound City Lake?
- Mound City Lake is a lake in Linn County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Mound City Lake?
- Mound City Lake in Linn County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L. Surface area: 148 acres.
Is Mound City Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Mound City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for noxious aquatic plants, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Mound City Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Kansas
Other Lakes in Kansas
Eutrophic Lakes in Kansas
Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX10 samples · 2012–2017
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- 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