Paintsville Lake
Johnson County, Kentucky1,139 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Paintsville Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Ask about Paintsville Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Paintsville Lake in Johnson County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Surface area: 1139 acres.
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Paintsville Lake is a 1,139-acre mesotrophic lake in Johnson County, Kentucky. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2017-10-03. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Paintsville Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Big water1,139 acres
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. Paintsville Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Paintsville Lake 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 Paintsville Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Paintsville Lake, 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 19 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | 19 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 47 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 1,139 acres |
No bathymetric survey has been published for Paintsville Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Fishing Paintsville Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -2 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
EPA Impairment Status
Paintsville Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-2058 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Johnson County
Frequently asked questions about Paintsville Lake
Where is Paintsville Lake?
- Paintsville Lake is a lake in Johnson County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Paintsville Lake?
- Paintsville Lake in Johnson County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Surface area: 1139 acres.
Is Paintsville Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Paintsville Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Paintsville Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
37 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2012–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX37 samples · 2012–2017
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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