Rough River Lake
Breckinridge County, Kentucky5,100 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
↓ down from B at the last regrade
- Mesotrophic
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 58 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 6.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 5100 acres.
- Clarity
- 6.4 ft
- Max depth
- ~58 ft est.
- Area
- 5,100 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Phosphorus
- 23 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 3.8 µg/L
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Rough River Lake’s letter
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Rough River Lake is a 5,100-acre mesotrophic lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 58 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2016. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 10 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2016-12-12. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Rough River Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch10 documented ramps
- Big water5,100 acres
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 C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)
Murky, only visible to about 6.4 ft. Phosphorus 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.8 µg/L. TSI 48. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6.4 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 23 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.8 µg/L | Good |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 48 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:00 PM from gauge 03318005 (ROUGH RIVER LAKE NEAR FALLS OF ROUGH, KY). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Rough River Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~58 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 5,100 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Rough River 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.
Recreation & Access
- AxtelPublic
- Brown's HideawayPublic
- Cannon's PointPublic
- Cave CreekPublic
- Indian ValleyPublic
- L.C. LikensPublic
Showing 6 of 10 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Rough River Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Rough River Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Rough River Dam (completed 1959), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Rough River; earth-type dam, 132 ft tall and 1,590 ft long.
- Surface area
- 5,100 ac
- Normal storage
- 90,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 334,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 454 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Louisville District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY03012 · Operator website
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Breckinridge County
Nearby Lakes in Breckinridge County
Frequently asked questions about Rough River Lake
Where is Rough River Lake?
- Rough River Lake is a lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Rough River Lake?
- Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 6.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 5100 acres.
Is Rough River Lake safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Rough River Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Rough River Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 58 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 5100 acres.
What is the water level at Rough River Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Rough River Lake is 490.29 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:00 PM at gauge 03318005. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Rough River Lake?
- Rough River Lake has 10 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Axtel, Brown's Hideaway, Cannon's Point, Cave Creek, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Rough River Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Kentucky's top lakes, each with its grade
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Kentucky's cleanest and most-polluted lakes, ranked
Planning a trip around Mammoth Cave?
Rough River Lake is about 36 miles from Mammoth Cave National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Mammoth Cave →More Kentucky Lake Rankings
Other Grade C Lakes in Kentucky
Mesotrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Kentucky Water Science Center
USGS-KY16 samples · 2016
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory