West Fork Drakes Reservoir
Simpson County, KentuckyView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for West Fork Drakes Reservoir. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 35 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
West Fork Drakes Reservoir in Simpson County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 33 µg/L.
West Fork Drakes Reservoir is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Simpson County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2019-09-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What West Fork Drakes Reservoir is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. West Fork Drakes Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether West Fork Drakes Reservoir 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 West Fork Drakes Reservoir
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for West Fork Drakes Reservoir, 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 33 µg/L. TSI 55.
| 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 | 33µg/L | Fair 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. | 55 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about West Fork Drakes Reservoir
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~35 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for West Fork Drakes Reservoir.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
107 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
72 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
594 ft
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
- FranklinPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Fishing West Fork Drakes Reservoir
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
West Fork Drakes Reservoir is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Franklin Dam (completed 1975), built primarily for water supply on the West Fork Drakes Creek; gravity-type dam, 15 ft tall and 650 ft long.
- Max storage
- 158 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 108 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- CITY OF FRANKLIN
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY00321 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.42 km)
EPA Impairment Status
West Fork Drakes Reservoir 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-2696 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Simpson County
Frequently asked questions about West Fork Drakes Reservoir
Where is West Fork Drakes Reservoir?
- West Fork Drakes Reservoir is a lake in Simpson County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of West Fork Drakes Reservoir?
- West Fork Drakes Reservoir in Simpson County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 33 µg/L.
Is West Fork Drakes Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. West Fork Drakes Reservoir is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is West Fork Drakes Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers West Fork Drakes Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on West Fork Drakes Reservoir?
- West Fork Drakes Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Franklin. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at West Fork Drakes Reservoir?
- West Fork Drakes Reservoir has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2019. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX12 samples · 2019
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory