Pierson Lake
Wyandotte County, Kansas12 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Pierson Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
Pierson Lake in Wyandotte County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 88.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 33.3 µg/L. Surface area: 11.7 acres.
Pierson Lake is a 12-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Wyandotte County, Pierson Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2024-09-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Pierson Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Pierson 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 Pierson Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Pierson 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 88.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 33.3 µg/L. TSI 67.
| 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 | 88.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 33.3µg/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. | 67 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Pierson Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
12 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Pierson Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pierson Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pierson Lake in Wyandotte 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 Pierson Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Pierson Lake
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Fishing Pierson Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 10 years of monitoring (2012–2024).
Phosphorus
Worsening+4.4 µg/L/yr10 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable-0.03 µg/L/yr10 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pierson Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pierson Park Dam (completed 1968), built primarily for recreation on the Barber Creek-Tr; earth-type dam, 45 ft tall and 1,150 ft long.
- Surface area
- 11.7 ac
- Normal storage
- 89 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 390 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.85 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- WYANDOTTE COUNTY, UNIFIED GOVT OF
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS02556 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.23 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Pierson 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-LM061801 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Wyandotte County
Frequently asked questions about Pierson Lake
Where is Pierson Lake?
- Pierson Lake is a lake in Wyandotte County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pierson Lake?
- Pierson Lake in Wyandotte County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 88.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 33.3 µg/L. Surface area: 11.7 acres.
Is Pierson Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Pierson Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
69 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- EPA R7
EPA_R7_WQX69 samples · 2012–2024
Analytical methods
- Nutrient Analysis
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Chlorophyll a
- Fluorometric Analysis of Chlorophyll a (originally 2334.22A)
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Total Nitrogen Calculation
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