Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake
Stafford County, KansasView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Ammonia
- #1 of 2 in the county
- 27 ft max depth
- Limited data
Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake in Stafford County, Kansas has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 105 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 25 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 0.8 ft
- Max depth
- ~27 ft est.
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 105 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 25 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Stays near Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake in Stafford 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake are listed below.
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Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Stafford County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 27 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 2 sampling years through 2017. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Stafford County, Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2017-07-10. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited 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 D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for ammonia, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity, salinity / chlorides, sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Very murky, less than 0.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 105 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 25 µg/L. TSI 71. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 0.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 105 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 25 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 71 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~27 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~4 ft est. |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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 Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.04 m/yr | 2 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | -1.33 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +2 µg/L/yr | 2 |
EPA Impairment Status
Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM050601 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.97 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 2 lakes in Stafford County
Nearby Lakes in Stafford County
Frequently asked questions about Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake
Where is Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake?
- Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake is a lake in Stafford County, Kansas. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake?
- Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake in Stafford County, Kansas has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 105 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 25 µg/L.
Is Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake safe to swim in?
- The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for ammonia, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pH / acidity, salinity / chlorides, sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 27 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Quivera Big Salt Marsh Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX10 samples · 2014–2017
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)