Spavinaw Lake
Mayes County, Oklahoma1,584 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.
↓ down from C at the last regrade
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- #1 of 6 in the county
- 45 ft max depth
- Limited data
Spavinaw Lake in Mayes County, Oklahoma has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36 µg/L. Surface area: 1584 acres.
- Clarity
- 3.3 ft
- Max depth
- ~45 ft est.
- Area
- 1,584 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 36 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Stays near Spavinaw Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Spavinaw Lake in Mayes County, Oklahoma — 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Spavinaw Lake are listed below.
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Watch Spavinaw Lake’s letter
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Spavinaw Lake is a 1,584-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Mayes County, Oklahoma with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2023. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Mayes County, Spavinaw Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ODEQ, last sampled 2023-11-06. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Spavinaw Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Big water1,584 acres
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Spavinaw Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 36 µg/L. TSI 58. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.3 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 36 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 58 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 4:00 PM from gauge 07191300 (Spavinaw Lake at Spavinaw, OK). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Spavinaw Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~45 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 1,584 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Oklahoma has not published bathymetry for Spavinaw 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 Spavinaw Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -14.5 m/yr | 2 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | 0 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Spavinaw Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Spavinaw (completed 1922), built primarily for water supply on the Spavinaw Creek; earth-type dam, 75 ft tall and 2,400 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,584 ac
- Normal storage
- 38,000 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 72,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 390 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- City of Tulsa
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK11025 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Spavinaw Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OK121600050020_00 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 6 lakes in Mayes County
Nearby Lakes in Mayes County
Frequently asked questions about Spavinaw Lake
Where is Spavinaw Lake?
- Spavinaw Lake is a lake in Mayes County, Oklahoma. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Spavinaw Lake?
- Spavinaw Lake in Mayes County, Oklahoma has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36 µg/L. Surface area: 1584 acres.
Is Spavinaw Lake safe to swim in?
- The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Spavinaw Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Spavinaw Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Spavinaw Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 45 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 1584 acres.
What is the water level at Spavinaw Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Spavinaw Lake is 679.86 ft of gage height, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 4:00 PM at gauge 07191300. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Explore Spavinaw Lake across LakeQuality
More Oklahoma Lake Rankings
Other Grade D Lakes in Oklahoma
Eutrophic Lakes in Oklahoma
Where this data comes from
96 measurements from 8 monitoring stations, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Cherokee Nation (Tribal)
CHEROKEE_WQX60 samples · 2019–2020 - OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX36 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
- Determination of Turbidity
- CN_QAPP
Monitoring station identifiers (8)
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)