White Clay Reservoir
Oglala Lakota County, South DakotaView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from SD DANR for this lake.
- 12 ft max depth
- Limited data
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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
White Clay Reservoir in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota has water-quality measurements published by SD DANR, shown here as reported.
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White Clay Reservoir is a lake in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota with an estimated average depth of about 12 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, SD DANR, last sampled 2024-10-09. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming conditions
No readingBacteria tested: exceedances
Based on E. coli testing, White Clay Reservoir routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 44.8% of 29 samples across 6 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check South Dakota’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether White Clay Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for White Clay Reservoir
These are the measurements SD DANR publishes for White Clay 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.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples |
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~12 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~7 ft est. |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. South Dakota has not published bathymetry for White Clay 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.
Fishing White Clay Reservoir
Nearby Lakes in Oglala Lakota County
Frequently asked questions about White Clay Reservoir
Where is White Clay Reservoir?
- White Clay Reservoir is a lake in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota. Its water-quality measurements are published by SD DANR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of White Clay Reservoir?
- White Clay Reservoir in Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota has water-quality measurements published by SD DANR, shown here as reported.
Is White Clay Reservoir safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, White Clay Reservoir routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 44.8% of 29 samples across 6 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether White Clay Reservoir is safe to swim in today is a call for South Dakota's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
How deep is White Clay Reservoir?
- No published bathymetric survey covers White Clay Reservoir, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 12 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Oglala Sioux Tribe (South Dakota) (Tribal)
OGLALAST18 samples · 2023–2024
Analytical methods
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)