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LakeQuality

Pleasanton Reservoir

Linn County, Kansas27 acresView mapDirections

C
Fair

Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.

↓ down from B at the last regrade

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
4.3 ft
Secchi · sampled 2018
Max depth
~30 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Declining
3 years of samples
  • Eutrophic
  • Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
  • #1 of 2 in the county
  • 30 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Pleasanton Reservoir in Linn County, Kansas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16 µg/L. Surface area: 26.6 acres.

Clarity
4.3 ft
Max depth
~30 ft est.
Area
27 acres
Type
Eutrophic
Phosphorus
22.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
16 µg/L
Trend
Declining
Public access
Yes
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Watch Pleasanton Reservoir’s letter

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Pleasanton Reservoir is a 27-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Linn County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 30 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2018. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Linn County, Pleasanton Reservoir ranks #1 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-06-26. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Limited data

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Pleasanton Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Kansas City

Get alerts for Pleasanton Reservoir

Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)

Murky, only visible to about 4.3 ft. Phosphorus 22.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 16 µg/L. TSI 54. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)4.3 ftNot graded
Phosphorus22.5 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)16 µg/LFair
Trophic State Index (TSI)54Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~30 ft est.
Average Depth~9 ft est.
Surface Area27 acres
Public AccessYes

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Pleasanton Reservoir.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
Shoreline
2.5 mi
Elevation
830 ft

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.

Fishing Pleasanton Reservoir

Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Declining-0.061 m/yr3
Phosphorus Declining+2.29 µg/L/yr3
Chlorophyll-a Declining+2.95 µg/L/yr3

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Pleasanton Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pleasanton Lake (completed 1935), built primarily for water supply on the Muddy Creek; earth-type dam, 29 ft tall and 2,900 ft long.

Surface area
26.6 ac
Normal storage
208.8 ac-ft
Max storage
394.9 ac-ft
Drainage area
0.9 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
PLEASANTON, CITY OF

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS02498 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Pleasanton Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM044201 · Official waterbody report

County Ranking

Ranked #1 of 2 lakes in Linn County

Nearby Lakes in Linn County

Frequently asked questions about Pleasanton Reservoir

Where is Pleasanton Reservoir?

Pleasanton Reservoir is a lake in Linn County, Kansas. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Pleasanton Reservoir?

Pleasanton Reservoir in Linn County, Kansas has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 16 µg/L. Surface area: 26.6 acres.

Is Pleasanton Reservoir safe to swim in?

The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Pleasanton Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

How deep is Pleasanton Reservoir?

No published bathymetric survey covers Pleasanton Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 30 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 26.6 acres.

Where this data comes from

13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Kansas Department Of Health And Environment21KAN001_WQX13 samples · 2015–2018

Analytical methods

  • Depth, Secchi disk depth
  • Phosphorus by Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)