Wellington New City Lake
Sumner County, Kansas675 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run well above the regional average.
↓ down from D at the last regrade
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Metals (other than mercury)
- #1 of 1 in the county
- 49 ft max depth
- Limited data
Wellington New City Lake in Sumner County, Kansas has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 70.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31 µg/L. Surface area: 675 acres.
- Clarity
- 1.9 ft
- Max depth
- ~49 ft est.
- Area
- 675 acres
- Type
- Hypereutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 70.5 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 31 µg/L
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Stays near Wellington New City Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Wellington New City Lake in Sumner 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Wellington New City Lake are listed below.
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Watch Wellington New City Lake’s letter
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Wellington New City Lake is a 675-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Sumner County, Kansas with an estimated average depth of about 49 feet. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2017. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KDHE, last sampled 2017-06-27. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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 F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Wellington New City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: F (Algae-prone)
Very murky, less than 1.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 70.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 31 µg/L. TSI 66. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.9 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 70.5 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 31 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 66 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~49 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~8 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 675 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 Wellington New City 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 Wellington New City Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.058 m/yr | 2 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +5.1 µg/L/yr | 2 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↓ Declining | +7.9 µg/L/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Wellington New City Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the New Wellington Lake (completed 1996), built primarily for water supply on the East Prairie Creek; earth-type dam, 39 ft tall and 3,700 ft long.
- Surface area
- 675 ac
- Normal storage
- 5,907 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 15,986 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 17.8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- WELLINGTON, CITY OF
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Flood Risk Reduction.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KS07526 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.15 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Wellington New City Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KS-LM042201 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (2.7 km)
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 1 lakes in Sumner County
Nearby Lakes in Sumner County
Frequently asked questions about Wellington New City Lake
Where is Wellington New City Lake?
- Wellington New City Lake is a lake in Sumner County, Kansas. LakeQuality grades it F for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Wellington New City Lake?
- Wellington New City Lake in Sumner County, Kansas has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 70.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 31 µg/L. Surface area: 675 acres.
Is Wellington New City Lake safe to swim in?
- The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Wellington New City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for metals (other than mercury), nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), sediment / turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Wellington New City Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Wellington New City Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 49 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 675 acres.
Explore Wellington New City Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Kansas Department Of Health And Environment
21KAN001_WQX10 samples · 2012–2017
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)