Salem Lake
Larue County, Kentucky99 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Salem Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 25 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Salem Lake in Larue County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 11.6 µg/L. Surface area: 99.3 acres.
Salem Lake is a 99-acre lake in Larue County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 25 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2016-10-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Salem Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Salem Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Salem Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Salem Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Salem Lake, 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 11.6 µg/L. TSI 40.
| 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 | 11.6µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| 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. | 40 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Salem Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~25 ft est.
Surface area
99 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Salem Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
768 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
- Salem LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Salem Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Salem Lake in Larue County, Kentucky — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Salem Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Kentucky’s top lakes →
Follow Salem Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Salem Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Salem Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the North Fork Nolin River Mps 3 (completed 1977), built primarily for water supply on the North Fork Nolin River; earth-type dam, 52 ft tall and 1,260 ft long.
- Surface area
- 99.3 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,185 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,712 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.13 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF HODGENVILLE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00772 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Salem Lake 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-2689 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Larue County
Frequently asked questions about Salem Lake
Where is Salem Lake?
- Salem Lake is a lake in Larue County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Salem Lake?
- Salem Lake in Larue County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 11.6 µg/L. Surface area: 99.3 acres.
Is Salem Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Salem Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Salem Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Salem Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 25 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 99.3 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Salem Lake?
- Salem Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Salem Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Salem Lake?
- Salem Lake 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 Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Salem Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Mammoth Cave?
Salem 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 lakes in Kentucky
Other Lakes in Kentucky
Oligotrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX6 samples · 2016
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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