Smoky Valley Lake
Carter County, Kentucky35 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Smoky Valley Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Public access
Smoky Valley Lake in Carter County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 35.3 acres.
Smoky Valley Lake is a 35-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Carter County, Kentucky. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Carter County, Smoky Valley Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2023-09-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyModerate algae
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Smoky Valley 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 Smoky Valley Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Smoky Valley 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 30 µg/L. TSI 53.
| 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 | 30µg/L | Fair 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. | 53 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Smoky Valley Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
35 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
No bathymetric survey has been published for Smoky Valley Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Smoky Valley Lake
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Fishing Smoky Valley Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2012–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.72 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Smoky Valley Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Smokey Valley Dam (completed 1953), built primarily for recreation on the Smokey Creek; earth-type dam, 37 ft tall and 260 ft long.
- Surface area
- 35.3 ac
- Normal storage
- 366.8 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 845 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 13 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00037 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.51 km)
Nearby Lakes in Carter County
Frequently asked questions about Smoky Valley Lake
Where is Smoky Valley Lake?
- Smoky Valley Lake is a lake in Carter County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Smoky Valley Lake?
- Smoky Valley Lake in Carter County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Surface area: 35.3 acres.
Is Smoky Valley Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Smoky Valley Lake?
- Public access to Smoky Valley Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Smoky Valley Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
22 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2012–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX22 samples · 2012–2023
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.