Tuttle Creek Lake
Riley County, Kansas13,350 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.
- Eutrophic
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 197 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Tuttle Creek Lake in Riley County, Kansas has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 370 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 21.5 µg/L. Surface area: 13350 acres.
- Clarity
- 2.9 ft
- Max depth
- ~197 ft est.
- Area
- 13,350 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 370 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 21.5 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Tuttle Creek Lake is a 13,350-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Riley County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 197 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2018. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2018-06-11. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Tuttle Creek Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Big water13,350 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Very murky, less than 2.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 370 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 21.5 µg/L. TSI 71. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 2.9 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 370 µg/L | Not graded |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 21.5 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 71 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:30 PM from gauge 06886900 (TUTTLE C LK NR MANHATTAN, KS). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Tuttle Creek Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~197 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 13,350 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kansas has not published bathymetry for Tuttle Creek 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.
Recreation & Access
- Tuttle Creek-Canoe DockPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Tuttle Creek Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.072 m/yr | 3 |
| Phosphorus | → Stable | 0 µg/L/yr | 3 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -1.23 µg/L/yr | 3 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Tuttle Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Tuttle Creek Dam (completed 1960), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Big Blue River; rockfill-type dam, 157 ft tall and 7,500 ft long.
- Surface area
- 13,350 ac
- Normal storage
- 335,100 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,257,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 9,628 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Kansas City District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Navigation;Fish and Wildlife Pond;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00012 · Operator website
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Riley County
Nearby Lakes in Riley County
Frequently asked questions about Tuttle Creek Lake
Where is Tuttle Creek Lake?
- Tuttle Creek Lake is a lake in Riley County, Kansas. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Tuttle Creek Lake?
- Tuttle Creek Lake in Riley County, Kansas has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 370 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 21.5 µg/L. Surface area: 13350 acres.
Is Tuttle Creek Lake safe to swim in?
- The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Tuttle Creek Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Tuttle Creek Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 197 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 13350 acres.
What is the water level at Tuttle Creek Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Tuttle Creek Lake is 1078.51 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:30 PM at gauge 06886900. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Tuttle Creek Lake?
- Tuttle Creek Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Tuttle Creek-Canoe Dock. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Tuttle Creek Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Kansas's top lakes, each with its grade
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Where this data comes from
14 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX14 samples · 2012–2018
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk depth
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory