Steilacoom Lake
Pierce County, Washington317 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 · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 61 ft max depth
- Limited data
Steilacoom Lake in Pierce County, Washington is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 17.4 ft visibility. Surface area: 317 acres.
- Clarity
- 17.4 ft
- Max depth
- ~61 ft est.
- Area
- 317 acres
- Trend
- → Stable
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Steilacoom Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Steilacoom Lake in Pierce County, Washington — 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Steilacoom Lake
Prices for Sep 11–13, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Washington’s top lakes →
Watch Steilacoom Lake’s letter
Email me if this lake’s grade moves. Grades stay free.
Or email
Why Steilacoom Lake has no grade
Steilacoom 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, Steilacoom Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 17.4-foot median from 1 readings collected 2012 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 WA Ecology and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Steilacoom Lake is a 317-acre lake in Pierce County, Washington with an estimated average depth of about 61 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, WA Ecology, last sampled 2012-07-16. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Steilacoom Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.4 ft of visibility
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Steilacoom Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Steilacoom Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Crystal clear, you can see 17.4 ft down. TSI 36.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 17.4 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 36 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~61 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~16 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 317 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Washington has not published bathymetry for Steilacoom 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 Steilacoom Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | +0.08 m/yr | 7 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Steilacoom Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Steilacoom Lake Dam (completed 1989), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Chambers Creek; gravity-type dam, 28 ft tall and 120 ft long.
- Surface area
- 317 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,640 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,970 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 62 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Lakewood City
All listed purposes: Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID WA00139 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Steilacoom Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2018 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WA17110019001212_001_001 · Official waterbody report
Graded lakes near Steilacoom Lake
Steilacoom Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Pierce County
Frequently asked questions about Steilacoom Lake
Where is Steilacoom Lake?
- Steilacoom Lake is a lake in Pierce County, Washington. 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 Steilacoom Lake?
- Steilacoom Lake in Pierce County, Washington is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 17.4 ft visibility. Surface area: 317 acres.
Is Steilacoom Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Steilacoom Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Steilacoom Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Steilacoom Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 61 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 317 acres.
Explore Steilacoom Lake across LakeQuality
More Washington Lake Rankings
Other Lakes in Washington
Oligotrophic Lakes in Washington
Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2012. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS1 sample · 2012
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)