Sportsman Lake
Seminole County, Oklahoma590 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.
↓ down from C at the last regrade
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- #3 of 4 in the county
- 45 ft max depth
- Limited data
Sportsman Lake in Seminole County, Oklahoma has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Surface area: 590 acres.
- Clarity
- 6.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~45 ft est.
- Area
- 590 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 50 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sportsman Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sportsman Lake in Seminole 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 Sportsman Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Sportsman Lake
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Watch Sportsman Lake’s letter
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Sportsman Lake is a 590-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Seminole County, Oklahoma with an estimated average depth of about 45 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2019. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Seminole County, Sportsman Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ODEQ, last sampled 2019-09-10. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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. Sportsman Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft. Phosphorus 50 µg/L. TSI 56. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 6.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 50 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 56 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~45 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~15 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 590 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 Sportsman 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 Sportsman Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -50 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sportsman Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the SCS-Big Wewoka Creek Site-22 (completed 1958), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Tiger Creek; earth-type dam, 80 ft tall and 1,290 ft long.
- Surface area
- 590 ac
- Normal storage
- 5,349 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 11,850 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 12.4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- SEMINOLE COUNTY CONSERVATION DISTRICT
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK01325 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.99 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Sportsman Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OK520500020220_00 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #3 of 4 lakes in Seminole County
Nearby Lakes in Seminole County
Frequently asked questions about Sportsman Lake
Where is Sportsman Lake?
- Sportsman Lake is a lake in Seminole County, Oklahoma. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Sportsman Lake?
- Sportsman Lake in Seminole County, Oklahoma has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 50 µg/L. Surface area: 590 acres.
Is Sportsman Lake safe to swim in?
- The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Sportsman Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sportsman Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Sportsman 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 590 acres.
Explore Sportsman Lake across LakeQuality
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Other Grade D Lakes in Oklahoma
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Where this data comes from
34 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2012–2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma (Tribal)
SNEPO_WQX22 samples · 2012–2016 - OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX12 samples · 2018–2019
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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)