Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment
Obion County, TennesseeView mapDirections
TDEC publishes the water-quality measurements for Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nuisance native species
- 26 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment in Obion County, Tennessee has water-quality measurements published by TDEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 193.5 µg/L.
Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Obion County, Tennessee with an estimated average depth of about 26 feet. Overall water quality 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 Obion County, Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, TDEC, last sampled 2026-05-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nuisance native species, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment is safe to swim in today is a call for the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment
These are the measurements TDEC publishes for Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment, 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 193.5 µg/L. TSI 80.
| 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 | 194µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 80 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~26 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by TDEC
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Tennessee has not published bathymetry for Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
162 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
944 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
276 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.
Recreation & Access
- Kirby PocketPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment in Obion County, Tennessee — 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 Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment
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Fishing Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Improving-16.82 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit TN08010202040_2000 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Obion County
Frequently asked questions about Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment
Where is Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment?
- Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment is a lake in Obion County, Tennessee. Its water-quality measurements are published by TDEC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment?
- Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment in Obion County, Tennessee has water-quality measurements published by TDEC, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 193.5 µg/L.
Is Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nuisance native species, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 26 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment?
- Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Kirby Pocket. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment?
- Reelfoot Lake-Reelfoot Creek Embayment has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Tennessee's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
36 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- TDEC Division of Water Resources
TDECWR_WQX36 samples · 2015–2026
Analytical methods
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
- 2120 C ~ Color in Water by Spectrophotometry
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory