Paintsville Lake
Johnson County, Kentucky1,139 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- 60 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Paintsville Lake in Johnson County, Kentucky is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Surface area: 1139 acres.
- Clarity
- 5.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~60 ft est.
- Area
- 1,139 acres
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Paintsville Lake’s letter
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Why Paintsville Lake has no grade
Paintsville Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Paintsville Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 5.2-foot median from 29 readings collected 2019 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by KY DOW and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Paintsville Lake is a 1,139-acre lake in Johnson County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 60 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2019-08-07. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Paintsville Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Camping1 public campground nearby
- Big water1,139 acres
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Paintsville Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft. TSI 53.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 53 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~60 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 1,139 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Paintsville Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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
- Paintsville Lake State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Paintsville Lake
- Paintsville Lake State Park Campground1.2 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Fishing Paintsville Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -1.4 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Paintsville Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Paintsville Dam (completed 1980), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Paint Creek; rockfill-type dam, 160 ft tall and 1,600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,139 ac
- Normal storage
- 40,700 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 73,500 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 93 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Huntington District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY03066 · Operator website
Graded lakes near Paintsville Lake
Paintsville Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Johnson County
Frequently asked questions about Paintsville Lake
Where is Paintsville Lake?
- Paintsville Lake is a lake in Johnson County, Kentucky. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Paintsville Lake?
- Paintsville Lake in Johnson County, Kentucky is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility. Surface area: 1139 acres.
Is Paintsville Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Paintsville Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Paintsville Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 60 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 1139 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Paintsville Lake?
- Paintsville Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Paintsville Lake State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Are there campgrounds on Paintsville Lake?
- Paintsville Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Paintsville Lake State Park Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Paintsville Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
29 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS29 samples · 2019
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles