Turner Lake
Ballard County, KentuckyView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Turner Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
Turner Lake in Ballard County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 37 µg/L.
Turner Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Ballard County, Kentucky. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Ballard County, Turner Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2021-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Turner Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Turner Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Turner Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Turner Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 37 µg/L. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 37µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Turner Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fishing Turner Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Turner Lake 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: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-1935 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Ballard County
Frequently asked questions about Turner Lake
Where is Turner Lake?
- Turner Lake is a lake in Ballard County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Turner Lake?
- Turner Lake in Ballard County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 37 µg/L.
Is Turner Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Turner Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Can I fish at Turner Lake?
- Public access to Turner Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Turner Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
14 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2015–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX14 samples · 2015–2021
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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