Wes Watkins Reservoir
Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma1,142 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run above the regional average.
↓ down from C at the last regrade
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Turbidity
- #2 of 2 in the county
- 48 ft max depth
- Public access
Wes Watkins Reservoir in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 18.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1142 acres.
- Clarity
- 1.8 ft
- Max depth
- ~48 ft est.
- Area
- 1,142 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 32 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 18.2 µg/L
- Trend
- → Stable
- Public access
- Yes
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Wes Watkins Reservoir is a 1,142-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma with an estimated average depth of about 48 feet. Water quality is graded D based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Pottawatomie County, Wes Watkins Reservoir ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, ODEQ, last sampled 2024-09-18. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Wes Watkins Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Big water1,142 acres
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
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. Wes Watkins Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: D (Nutrient-rich)
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 32 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 18.2 µg/L. TSI 61. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 32 µg/L | Fair |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 18.2 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 61 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:00 PM from gauge 07241588 (Wes Watkins Reservoir near McLoud, OK). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Wes Watkins Reservoir water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~48 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 1,142 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Oklahoma has not published bathymetry for Wes Watkins Reservoir.
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
- Lake Wes Watkins 1Public
- Lake Wes Watkins 2Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Wes Watkins Reservoir
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 12 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +1.711 m/yr | 3 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +1.02 µg/L/yr | 12 |
| Chlorophyll-a | → Stable | -0.23 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Wes Watkins Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the SCS-North Deer Creek Site-1m (completed 1994), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the N Canadian River; earth-type dam, 54 ft tall and 3,055 ft long.
- Surface area
- 1,142 ac
- Normal storage
- 14,065 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 40,735 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 38.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- POTTAWATOMIE CO DEVELOP AUTH
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID OK22226 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Wes Watkins Reservoir is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit OK520510000255_00 · Official waterbody report
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 2 lakes in Pottawatomie County
Nearby Lakes in Pottawatomie County
Frequently asked questions about Wes Watkins Reservoir
Where is Wes Watkins Reservoir?
- Wes Watkins Reservoir is a lake in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma. LakeQuality grades it D for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Wes Watkins Reservoir?
- Wes Watkins Reservoir in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma has a water quality grade of D (Nutrient-rich). Water clarity: 1.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 18.2 µg/L. Surface area: 1142 acres.
Is Wes Watkins Reservoir safe to swim in?
- The D is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Wes Watkins Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Wes Watkins Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Wes Watkins Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 48 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 1142 acres.
What is the water level at Wes Watkins Reservoir?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Wes Watkins Reservoir is 1070.9 ft of gage height, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:00 PM at gauge 07241588. 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 Wes Watkins Reservoir?
- Wes Watkins Reservoir has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Wes Watkins 1, Lake Wes Watkins 2. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Wes Watkins Reservoir across LakeQuality
More Oklahoma Lake Rankings
Other Grade D Lakes in Oklahoma
Eutrophic Lakes in Oklahoma
Where this data comes from
1,332 measurements from 6 monitoring stations, 2012–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Citizen Potawatomi Nation, Oklahoma (Tribal)
CPNWATER1,296 samples · 2012–2024 - OWRB Lakes Monitoring
OKWRB-LAKES_WQX36 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- OWRB Lakes Field Data Collection
- Determination of Turbidity
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
Monitoring station identifiers (6)
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory