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LakeQuality

Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake

Pottawatomie County, KansasView mapDirections

A
Excellent

Clarity, phosphorus, and algae all sit in the cleanest band for this region.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
7.6 ft
Secchi · sampled 2018
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Stable
2 years of samples
  • Mesotrophic
  • Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
  • #1 of 2 in the county
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake in Pottawatomie County, Kansas has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 7.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.5 µg/L.

Clarity
7.6 ft
Type
Mesotrophic
Phosphorus
20 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
4.5 µg/L
Trend
Stable
Public access
Yes
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Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. Water quality is graded A based on 2 sampling years through 2018. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Pottawatomie County, Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake ranks #1 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-06-11. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp

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 A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

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Water Quality Grade: A (Excellent)

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.6 ft. Phosphorus 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.5 µg/L. TSI 47. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)7.6 ftNot graded
Phosphorus20 µg/LGood
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)4.5 µg/LGood
Trophic State Index (TSI)47Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Pottawatomie County 1Public

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake

Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Stable+0.003 m/yr2
Phosphorus Improving-0.75 µg/L/yr2
Chlorophyll-a Declining+0.25 µg/L/yr2

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pottawatomie State Lake No 1 (completed 1932), built primarily for recreation on the Rock Creek-Tr; earth-type dam, 51 ft tall and 1,400 ft long.

Normal storage
300 ac-ft
Max storage
355 ac-ft
Drainage area
1.25 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
KANSAS DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION

All listed purposes: Recreation;Fish and Wildlife Pond.

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00890 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.37 km)

EPA Impairment Status

Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM012901 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.21 km)

County Ranking

Ranked #1 of 2 lakes in Pottawatomie County

Nearby Lakes in Pottawatomie County

Frequently asked questions about Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake

Where is Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake?

Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake is a lake in Pottawatomie County, Kansas. LakeQuality grades it A for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake?

Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake in Pottawatomie County, Kansas has a water quality grade of A (Excellent). Water clarity: 7.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.5 µg/L.

Is Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake safe to swim in?

The A is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Are there boat ramps on Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake?

Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Pottawatomie County 1. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Kansas Department Of Health And Environment21KAN001_WQX8 samples · 2012–2018

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

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory