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LakeQuality

Pony Creek Lake

Brown County, Kansas171 acresView mapDirections

NR
Not rated

Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
2.2 ft
Secchi · sampled 2017
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
No reading
Not enough history
  • Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
  • Limited data

Pony Creek Lake in Brown County, Kansas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 62 µg/L. Surface area: 171 acres.

Clarity
2.2 ft
Area
171 acres
Phosphorus
83 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
62 µg/L
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Stays near Pony Creek Lake

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Watch Pony Creek Lake’s letter

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Why Pony Creek Lake has no grade

We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Pony Creek Lake, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). Sampling here has recorded water clarity, phosphorus and algae (chlorophyll-a).

Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.

Sampling is run by KDHE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.

Pony Creek Lake is a 171-acre lake in Brown County, Kansas.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2017-08-29. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Pony Creek Lake 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

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Water quality measurements for Pony Creek Lake

These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.

Very murky, less than 2.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 62 µg/L. TSI 68.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)2.2 ftNot graded
Phosphorus83 µg/LNot graded
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)62 µg/LNot graded
Trophic State Index (TSI)68Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Surface Area171 acres

No bathymetric survey has been published for Pony Creek Lake, so its depth is not documented here.

Fishing Pony Creek Lake

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Pony Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pony Creek Lake (completed 1993), built primarily for water supply on the Pony Creek; earth-type dam, 67 ft tall and 2,200 ft long.

Surface area
171 ac
Normal storage
2,630 ac-ft
Max storage
6,023 ac-ft
Drainage area
6.51 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
SABETHA, CITY OF

All listed purposes: Water Supply;Flood Risk Reduction.

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS07569 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Pony Creek Lake 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-LM073001 · Official waterbody report

Graded lakes near Pony Creek Lake

Pony Creek Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.

Nearby Lakes in Brown County

Frequently asked questions about Pony Creek Lake

Where is Pony Creek Lake?

Pony Creek Lake is a lake in Brown County, Kansas. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).

What is the water quality grade for Pony Creek Lake?

Pony Creek Lake in Brown County, Kansas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 62 µg/L. Surface area: 171 acres.

Is Pony Creek Lake safe to swim in?

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Pony Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Where this data comes from

5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Kansas Department Of Health And Environment21KAN001_WQX5 samples · 2017

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