A red sun low over Slim Lake through wildfire haze, its reflection a column of orange on the water

Reservoirs in Kansas

148 of 239 measured Kansas lakes (62%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 99 carry a High or Significant hazard rating.

Reading the Kansas reservoir landscape

Kansas hosts 148 man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams — a dense reservoir landscape that reflects significant federal, state, and utility-led impoundment construction over the 20th century. Reservoir lakes behave differently than natural lakes: water levels are managed for the dam's primary purpose, residence time depends on inflow and release schedules, and depth profiles follow the original river-valley topography rather than the bowl shape of glacial lakes.

The leading reservoir purpose in Kansas is flood control. Flood-control reservoirs typically hold water at a low pool except during high-water events, when the dam captures and slowly releases excess inflow downstream. That operating pattern means shallow shoreline access, exposed mudflats during low-pool seasons, and water-level fluctuations that limit fixed-dock development. The fishing and recreation use tends to concentrate in the deeper main-channel areas year-round.

The USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID) catalogs every dam in the United States above a size threshold — typically 25 feet in height or 50 acre-feet in maximum storage, plus all dams classified as high-hazard regardless of size. The reservoir records below pull NID fields (year built, hazard class, maximum storage, surface area at normal pool, dam length, primary purpose) and pair them with water-quality data where the impoundment also appears in EPA's lake-monitoring inventory.

Why these Kansas reservoirs were built

Flood Risk Reduction

Recreation

Water Supply

Fish and Wildlife Pond

Other

Fire Protection, Stock, Or Small Fish Pond

148

Total reservoirs

211,018

Total surface acres

2,773,953

Normal storage (ac-ft)

High or Significant hazard

All 148 Kansas reservoirs (by surface area)

Reservoir	County	Surface area	Year built	Purpose	Hazard
Cheney Lake	Sedgwick	28,000 ac	1965	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Waconda Lake	Mitchell	13,500 ac	1969	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Tuttle Creek Lake	Riley	13,350 ac	1960	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Perry Lake	Jefferson	12,200 ac	1966	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Webster Lake	Rooks	11,493 ac	1956	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Cedar Bluff Lake	Trego	10,790 ac	1951	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Kirwin Lake	Phillips	10,640 ac	1955	Flood Risk Reduction	High
John Redmond Lake	Coffey	9,671 ac	1964	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Wilson Lake	Russell	9,040 ac	1964	Flood Risk Reduction	High
El Dorado Lake	Butler	8,400 ac	1981	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Lovewell Lake	Jewell	7,635 ac	1957	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Clinton Lake	Douglas	7,000 ac	1977	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Melvern Lake	Osage	6,930 ac	1972	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Norton Lake	Norton	6,551 ac	1964	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Marion Lake	Marion	6,210 ac	1968	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Wolf Creek Lake	Coffey	5,090 ac	1980	Other	High
Hillsdale Lake	Miami	4,580 ac	1981	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Elk City Lake	Montgomery	4,440 ac	1966	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Pomona Lake	Osage	4,000 ac	1963	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Kanopolis Lake	Ellsworth	3,815 ac	1948	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Council Grove Lake	Morris	3,259 ac	1964	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Toronto Lake	Woodson	2,660 ac	1960	Flood Risk Reduction	High
La Cygne Lake	Linn	2,600 ac	1971	Other	High
Fall River Lake	Greenwood	2,329 ac	1948	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Big Hill Lake	Labette	1,192 ac	1981	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Winfield City Lake	Cowley	1,130 ac	1970	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Parsons Lake	Neosho	980 ac	1959	Water Supply	High
Wellington New City Lake	Sumner	675 ac	1996	Water Supply	Significant
Banner Creek Lake	Jackson	535 ac	1997	Water Supply	High
Bone Creek Lake	Crawford	523 ac	1997	Water Supply	High
Lake Shawnee	Shawnee	500 ac	1937	Recreation	High
Murray Gill Lake	Chautauqua	473 ac	1965	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Horsethief Canyon Lake	Hodgeman	452 ac	2009	Recreation	High
Centralia Lake	Nemaha	404.4 ac	1990	Other	Low
Council Grove City Lake	Morris	387 ac	1942	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Wyandotte County Lake	Wyandotte	375 ac	1941	Recreation	Significant
Fort Scott City Lake	Bourbon	349 ac	1959	Water Supply	High
Clark Co State Fishing Lake	Clark	336.77 ac	1934	—	Low
Cedar Valley Lake	Anderson	320 ac	—	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Otis Creek Lake	Greenwood	258.5 ac	1971	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Lake Coldwater	Comanche	250.72 ac	1974	Recreation	Significant
Harvey Co East Lake	Harvey	240.3 ac	1976	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Harvey County East Park Lake	Harvey	240.3 ac	1976	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Strowbridge Reservoir	Osage	239 ac	1966	Recreation	High
Lake Afton	Sedgwick	238 ac	1942	Recreation	High
Lake Wabaunsee	Wabaunsee	228.3 ac	1996	Water Supply	High
Cedar Creek Reservoir	Bourbon	222.12 ac	2002	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Miola Lake	Miami	215 ac	1957	Water Supply	High
Critzer Lake	Linn	212 ac	2006	Flood Risk Reduction	High
New Yates Center Lake	Woodson	211.7 ac	1990	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Quivira Lake	Wyandotte	207 ac	1935	Recreation	High
Lone Star Lake	Douglas	194.7 ac	1939	Recreation	High
Moline Reservoir	Elk	185 ac	1983	Water Supply	High
Augusta City Lake	Butler	181 ac	1940	Recreation	High
Douglas Co State Fishing Lake	Douglas	180 ac	1961	Fish and Wildlife Pond	High
Woodson Co State Fishing Lake	Woodson	179 ac	1933	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Leavenworth Co State Fishing Lake	Leavenworth	175 ac	1994	Fish and Wildlife Pond	High
Pony Creek Lake	Brown	171 ac	1993	Water Supply	High
New Olathe Lake	Johnson	165 ac	1955	Water Supply	High
Kingman Co State Fishing Lake	Kingman	154.3 ac	1931	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Mission Lake	Brown	154 ac	1924	Water Supply	High
Little Lake	Brown	154 ac	1924	Water Supply	High
Marion Co Lake	Marion	150 ac	1937	Recreation	Significant
Mound City Lake	Linn	148 ac	—	Water Supply	Significant
Ottawa Co State Fishing Lake	Ottawa	137.8 ac	1927	Recreation	High
Shawnee Co State Fishing Lake	Shawnee	135 ac	2010	Recreation	Low
Plainville Township Lake	Rooks	130.76 ac	1938	Recreation	High
Gardner Lake	Johnson	130 ac	1940	Water Supply	High
Anthony City Lake	Harper	129.9 ac	1935	Recreation	Low
Nemaha Co State Fishing Lake	Nemaha	120.48 ac	2002	Recreation	Low
Wilson Co State Fishing Lake	Wilson	119 ac	1955	Fish and Wildlife Pond	High
Madison City Lake	Greenwood	114.6 ac	1970	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Washington Co State Fishing Lake	Washington	111 ac	1957	Recreation	Significant
Linn Valley Lake	Linn	106.5 ac	1985	Recreation	High
Jetmore Lake	Hodgeman	103.9 ac	—	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Shawnee Mission Lake	Johnson	103.8 ac	1958	Recreation	High
Miami Co State Fishing Lake	Miami	101.5 ac	1941	—	Low
Herington Reservoir	Dickinson	100 ac	1923	Recreation	High
Geary Co State Fishing Lake	Geary	96 ac	1960	—	Low
Sheridan Co State Fishing Lake	Sheridan	87 ac	1959	—	High
Hodgeman Co State Fishing Lake	Hodgeman	87 ac	1956	—	Low
Antelope Lake	Graham	83.1 ac	1996	Recreation	Low
Barber Co State Fishing Lake	Barber	77 ac	1954	Recreation	High
Olpe City Lake	Lyon	75 ac	1965	Water Supply	Low
Sedan City South Lake	Chautauqua	75 ac	1965	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Rooks Co State Fishing Lake	Rooks	67 ac	1934	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Xenia Lake	Bourbon	64.03 ac	1997	Water Supply	Significant
Polk Daniels State Fishing Lake	Elk	60.2 ac	1935	Recreation	Significant
Sedan City North Lake	Chautauqua	57 ac	1935	Water Supply	Significant
Jewell Co State Fishing Lake	Jewell	57 ac	1954	—	Low
Olathe Lake	Johnson	55 ac	1931	Water Supply	High
Cedar Lake	Johnson	55 ac	1931	Water Supply	High
New Alma City Lake	Wabaunsee	54.8 ac	—	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Pratt County Lake	Pratt	51.1 ac	1938	Recreation	Low
Prairie Lake	Jackson	48.3 ac	1948	Recreation	Low
Garnett Lake	Anderson	45 ac	1935	Recreation	Low
Fossil Lake	Russell	44.1 ac	1998	—	Low
Atwood Township Lake	Rawlins	43 ac	1987	Water Supply	Significant
Nebo Watershed Lake	Jackson	38.12 ac	1999	Flood Risk Reduction	Low
Lake Warnock	Atchison	38 ac	1962	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Louisburg Old Lake	Miami	36.2 ac	1955	Water Supply	High
Blue Mound City Lake	Linn	35.2 ac	1959	Water Supply	Low
Lenexa City Lake	Johnson	33 ac	2006	Recreation	High
Lenexa Lake	Johnson	33 ac	2006	Recreation	High
Pleasanton Reservoir	Linn	26.6 ac	1935	Water Supply	High
Concannon State Fishing Lake	Finney	15.21 ac	1952	Fire Protection, Stock, Or Small Fish Pond	Low
Richmond City Lake	Franklin	14.18 ac	1955	Water Supply	Significant
Pierson Lake	Wyandotte	11.7 ac	1968	Recreation	High
Severy City Lake	Greenwood	10 ac	1938	Water Supply	Significant
Colwich City Lake	Sedgwick	8.04 ac	2008	—	High
Kingston Lake Park	Johnson	7 ac	1989	Recreation	Low
Louisburg State Fishing Lake	Miami	5.84 ac	1984	Water Supply	High
Stoll Park Lake	Johnson	5.8 ac	2009	Recreation	High
South Lake	Johnson	5.2 ac	—	Recreation	High
Lake Crawford	Crawford	—	1935	Recreation	Significant
Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake	Pottawatomie	—	1932	Recreation	High
Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake	Pottawatomie	—	1976	—	Low
Mcpherson Co State Fishing Lake	McPherson	—	1954	Recreation	High
Hiawatha City Lake	Brown	—	1933	Water Supply	Low
Osage Co State Fishing Lake	Osage	—	1955	—	Low
Atchison Co State Fishing Lake	Atchison	—	1956	—	Low
Scott State Fishing Lake	Scott	—	1926	—	Low
Sabetha City Lake	Nemaha	—	1936	Water Supply	Low
Montgomery Co State Fishing Lake	Montgomery	—	1953	—	Low
Augusta Santa Fe Lake	Butler	—	1927	Recreation	High
Meade Lake	Meade	—	1926	—	Low
Butler Co State Fishing Lake	Butler	—	1955	—	Low
Cowley Co State Fishing Lake	Cowley	—	1953	—	Low
Lyon Co State Fishing Lake	Lyon	—	1933	—	Low
Eureka Lake	Greenwood	—	1939	Water Supply	Low
Chanute Santa Fe Lake	Neosho	—	1911	Recreation	Low
Neosho Co State Fishing Lake	Neosho	—	1926	—	Low
Kiowa Co State Fishing Lake	Kiowa	—	1966	—	Low
Ford County Lake	Ford	—	—	Recreation	Low
Gridley City Lake	Coffey	—	1961	Water Supply	Low
Atchison County Park Lake	Atchison	—	1935	Recreation	Low
Crystal Lake	Anderson	—	1940	Recreation	High
Lake Jewell	Jewell	—	1951	Water Supply	Low
Alma City Lake	Wabaunsee	—	1966	Water Supply	Low
Brown Co State Fishing Lake	Brown	—	1953	Fish and Wildlife Pond	Low
Chase Co State Fishing Lake	Chase	—	1954	—	Significant
Bourbon Co State Fishing Lake	Bourbon	—	1957	—	Low
Saline Co State Fishing Lake	Saline	—	1971	—	Low
Parker City Lake	Linn	—	1962	Water Supply	Low
Yates Center Reservoir	Woodson	—	1936	Water Supply	High
Spring Creek Park Lake	Douglas	—	1937	Water Supply	Low
Water Works Park Lake	Johnson	—	1920	Other	High
Tallowood Drive Lake	Sedgwick	—	1954	—	Low

Frequently Asked Questions

How many reservoirs are in Kansas?

148 of 239 measured Kansas lakes (62%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 99 are rated High or Significant hazard, meaning failure would put downstream lives or property at substantial risk. The oldest matched dam dates to 1911.

What's the largest reservoir in Kansas?

The largest matched reservoir in Kansas is Cheney Lake in Sedgwick County at 28,000 acres of normal surface area, impounded by the Cheney Dam (completed 1965).

What's the difference between a reservoir and a natural lake?

A reservoir is a body of water impounded by a man-made dam — typically built for flood control, hydroelectric power, water supply, irrigation, or recreation. A natural lake formed without human intervention, usually from glacial scouring, volcanic activity, or river meandering. Reservoirs typically have shoreline that fluctuates with seasonal water level management, while natural lakes have more stable shorelines. The USACE National Inventory of Dams classifies every regulated dam in the United States, which is how we identify which LakeQuality lakes are actually reservoirs.

What does the hazard class mean?

USACE assigns each dam a hazard potential classification based on what would happen downstream if the dam failed — NOT how likely the dam is to fail. "Low" hazard means dam failure would cause no probable loss of life and only low economic loss. "Significant" means probable loss of life is unlikely but appreciable economic damage would occur. "High" means probable loss of life and significant economic damage. The classification is about consequence, not condition. Many High-hazard dams are perfectly safe; they're rated High because populated areas have grown downstream over time.

Where does this reservoir data come from?

Every reservoir record on this page is matched to the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all dams ≥25 ft tall or impounding ≥50 acre-feet, plus any dam that poses a Significant or High hazard regardless of size. The NID is published by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and updated annually. Surface area, storage capacity, dam height, and hazard classification come directly from NID records.

Where to stay near Kansas reservoirs

Compare cabins, lodges, and vacation rentals near the largest reservoirs in Kansas — live availability and prices for boating, fishing, and lake trips.

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More on reservoirs and water quality

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Lake Water Quality Explained: What the Readings Mean

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Why Lakes Turn Green: Phosphorus and Nutrient Pollution

How phosphorus and nutrient runoff drive algae growth and turn lakes green, where the nutrients come from, and what it means for a lake’s readings.

Data source

Reservoir data from the USACE National Inventory of Dams (NID), the federal database of all regulated dams. Dam attributes (height, year completed, storage capacity, hazard class) are matched to LakeQuality lakes by proximity and dam-name similarity. Some lakes may be reservoirs that aren't matched if the dam record uses a name substantially different from our lake name.