Owsley Fork Reservoir
Madison County, Kentucky152 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Owsley Fork Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Public access
- Limited data
Owsley Fork Reservoir in Madison County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 151.6 acres.
Owsley Fork Reservoir is a 152-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Madison County, Kentucky. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Madison County, Owsley Fork Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2018-10-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Owsley Fork Reservoir covers about 150 acres in Madison County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Owsley Fork Reservoir on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Owsley Fork Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Owsley Fork Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Owsley Fork Reservoir
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Owsley Fork Reservoir, 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 10 µg/L. TSI 37.
| 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 | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading 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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Owsley Fork Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
152 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
No bathymetric survey has been published for Owsley Fork Reservoir, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Owsley Fork ReservoirPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Owsley Fork Reservoir
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Top-rated places to stay near Owsley Fork Reservoir
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Fishing Owsley Fork Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2013–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Stable-0.08 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Owsley Fork Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Red Lick Creek Mps 1 (completed 1974), built primarily for water supply on the Station Camp Creek; earth-type dam, 55 ft tall and 1,350 ft long.
- Surface area
- 151.6 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,215.1 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 5,057.4 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 7.04 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Berea Municipal Utilities
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00769 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Madison County
Frequently asked questions about Owsley Fork Reservoir
Where is Owsley Fork Reservoir?
- Owsley Fork Reservoir is a lake in Madison County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Owsley Fork Reservoir?
- Owsley Fork Reservoir in Madison County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 151.6 acres.
Is Owsley Fork Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Owsley Fork Reservoir?
- Owsley Fork Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Owsley Fork Reservoir. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Owsley Fork Reservoir?
- Owsley Fork Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Owsley Fork Reservoir across LakeQuality
More lakes in Kentucky
Other Lakes in Kentucky
Oligotrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
11 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2013–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX11 samples · 2013–2018
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory