Waconda Lake
Mitchell County, Kansas13,500 acresView mapDirections
KDHE publishes the water-quality measurements for Waconda Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- Public access
- Limited data
Waconda Lake in Mitchell County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 68 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L. Surface area: 13500 acres.
Waconda Lake is a 13,500-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Mitchell County, Kansas. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2016-08-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 14,000 acres, Waconda Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Waconda Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Waconda Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
- Big water13,500 acres
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. Waconda Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Waconda Lake 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 Waconda Lake
These are the measurements KDHE publishes for Waconda Lake, 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 3.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 68 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 24 µg/L. TSI 62.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 68µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 24µg/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. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Waconda Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
13,500 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by KDHE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Waconda Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Waconda-Walnut CreekPublic
- Waconda-State ParkPublic
- Waconda-OsagePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Waconda Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Waconda Lake in Mitchell 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 Waconda Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Waconda Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Waconda Lake → · more Kansas lake trips
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Fishing Waconda Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2014–2016). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Stable+1.25 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+4.25 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Waconda Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Glen Elder Dam (completed 1969), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Soloman River; earth-type dam, 142 ft tall and 15,275 ft long.
- Surface area
- 13,500 ac
- Normal storage
- 241,460 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,107,489 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 5,076.74 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Irrigation;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS00021 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Waconda Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Drinking water, Aquatic life, Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM018001 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Mitchell County
Frequently asked questions about Waconda Lake
Where is Waconda Lake?
- Waconda Lake is a lake in Mitchell County, Kansas. Its water-quality measurements are published by KDHE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Waconda Lake?
- Waconda Lake in Mitchell County, Kansas has water-quality measurements published by KDHE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 68 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24 µg/L. Surface area: 13500 acres.
Is Waconda Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Waconda Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), salinity / chlorides. Check local advisories before you swim.
Are there boat ramps on Waconda Lake?
- Waconda Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Waconda-Walnut Creek, Waconda-State Park, Waconda-Osage. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Waconda Lake?
- Waconda Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kansas's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
11 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2014–2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX11 samples · 2014–2016
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory