Strowbridge Reservoir
Osage County, Kansas239 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Strowbridge Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 31 ft max depth
- Limited data
Strowbridge Reservoir in Osage County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 48.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27 µg/L. Surface area: 239 acres.
Strowbridge Reservoir is a 239-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Osage County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Osage County, Strowbridge Reservoir ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-06-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Strowbridge Reservoir covers about 240 acres in Osage County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Strowbridge Reservoir, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Strowbridge Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Strowbridge Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Strowbridge Reservoir
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Strowbridge Reservoir, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.4 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 48.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 27 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 48.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 27µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Strowbridge Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 ft est.
Surface area
239 acres
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Strowbridge Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,096 ft
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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Strowbridge Reservoir
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Strowbridge Reservoir in Osage County, Kansas — 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 readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Strowbridge Reservoir are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Strowbridge Reservoir
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Strowbridge Reservoir
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2015–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-6.67 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.6 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Strowbridge Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Strowbridge Dam (completed 1966), built primarily for recreation on the Strowbridge Creek; earth-type dam, 45 ft tall and 1,435 ft long.
- Surface area
- 239 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,100 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,900 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CARBONDALE, CITY OF
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS02518 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Strowbridge Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM051201 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Osage County
Frequently asked questions about Strowbridge Reservoir
Where is Strowbridge Reservoir?
- Strowbridge Reservoir is a lake in Osage County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Strowbridge Reservoir?
- Strowbridge Reservoir in Osage County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 48.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27 µg/L. Surface area: 239 acres.
Is Strowbridge Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Strowbridge Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Strowbridge Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Strowbridge Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 239 acres.
Explore Strowbridge Reservoir across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2015–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX8 samples · 2015–2018
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)