Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake
Sheridan County, Kansas87 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 11 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake in Sheridan County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 76 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 56.8 µg/L. Surface area: 87 acres.
Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake is a 87-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Sheridan County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 11 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-08-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
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. Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 76 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 56.8 µg/L. TSI 71.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 76µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 56.8µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 71 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~11 ft est.
Surface area
87 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by KDHE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
2,474 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
- Sheridan State Fishing Lake WestPublic
- Sheridan State Fishing Lake EastPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake in Sheridan 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 readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2014–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+13.5 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+8.9 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sheridan State Fishing Lake (completed 1959) on the North Creek, 61 ft tall and 1,320 ft long.
- Surface area
- 87 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,030 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,810 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.34 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- KANSAS DEPT OF WILDLIFE PARKS & TOURISM
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00896 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.17 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM069401 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Sheridan County
Frequently asked questions about Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake
Where is Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake?
- Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake is a lake in Sheridan County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake?
- Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake in Sheridan County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 76 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 56.8 µg/L. Surface area: 87 acres.
Is Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 11 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 87 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake?
- Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sheridan State Fishing Lake West, Sheridan State Fishing Lake East. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake?
- Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX8 samples · 2014–2018
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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