South Fourche Lake
Perry County, Arkansas104 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 22 ft max depth
- Limited data
South Fourche Lake in Perry County, Arkansas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 4.1 ft visibility. Surface area: 104 acres.
- Clarity
- 4.1 ft
- Max depth
- ~22 ft est.
- Area
- 104 acres
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Watch South Fourche Lake’s letter
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Why South Fourche Lake has no grade
South Fourche Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, South Fourche Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 4.1-foot median from 1 readings collected 2020 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by ADEQ and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
South Fourche Lake is a 104-acre lake in Perry County, Arkansas with an estimated average depth of about 22 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ADEQ, last sampled 2020-08-08. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. South Fourche Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for South Fourche Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft. TSI 57.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 4.1 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 57 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~22 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~16 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 104 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Arkansas has not published bathymetry for South Fourche 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.
Fishing South Fourche Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
South Fourche Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the South Fourche Lafave Wid Site 1 (completed 1976), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Dry Fork Fourche Lavave River; earth-type dam, 75 ft tall and 3,010 ft long.
- Surface area
- 104 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,242 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 17,726 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 34.2 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Fourche La Fave Watershed Improvement District
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID AR01194 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.47 km)
EPA Impairment Status
South Fourche Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit AR_11110206_4060 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.08 km)
Graded lakes near South Fourche Lake
South Fourche Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Perry County
Frequently asked questions about South Fourche Lake
Where is South Fourche Lake?
- South Fourche Lake is a lake in Perry County, Arkansas. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for South Fourche Lake?
- South Fourche Lake in Perry County, Arkansas is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 4.1 ft visibility. Surface area: 104 acres.
Is South Fourche Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. South Fourche Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is South Fourche Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers South Fourche Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 22 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 104 acres.
Explore South Fourche Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Hot Springs?
South Fourche Lake is about 25 miles from Hot Springs 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 Hot Springs →More Arkansas Lake Rankings
Other Lakes in Arkansas
Eutrophic Lakes in Arkansas
Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS1 sample · 2020
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)