Shelby Lake
Shelby County, Kentucky57 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Shelby Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
Shelby Lake in Shelby County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 94.5 µg/L. Surface area: 57 acres.
Shelby Lake is a 57-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Shelby County, Kentucky. Overall water quality is declining 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 Shelby County, Shelby Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2022-09-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Shelby Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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. Shelby Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Shelby 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 Shelby Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Shelby 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 94.5 µg/L. TSI 70.
| 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 | 94.5µg/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. | 70 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Shelby Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
57 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
No bathymetric survey has been published for Shelby Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- City of ShelbyvillePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Shelby Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Shelby Lake in Shelby 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Shelby Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Shelby Lake
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Fishing Shelby Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2014–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.73 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Shelby Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Shelby Lake Dam (completed 1955), built primarily for recreation on the Clear Creek; gravity-type dam, 20 ft tall and 350 ft long.
- Surface area
- 57 ac
- Normal storage
- 400 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,680 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 21.2 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- CITY OF SHELBYVILLE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00087 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Shelby 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-1705 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Shelby County
Frequently asked questions about Shelby Lake
Where is Shelby Lake?
- Shelby Lake is a lake in Shelby County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Shelby Lake?
- Shelby Lake in Shelby County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 94.5 µg/L. Surface area: 57 acres.
Is Shelby Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Shelby 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 Shelby Lake?
- Shelby Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include City of Shelbyville. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Shelby Lake?
- Shelby 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 Shelby Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2014–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX16 samples · 2014–2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory