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

Reservoirs in Kentucky

83 of 189 graded Kentucky lakes (44%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 70 carry a High or Significant hazard rating.

Reading the Kentucky reservoir landscape

83 reservoirs in Kentucky appear in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. That's a meaningful share — reservoir lakes carry their own ecology and access patterns distinct from natural lakes, including managed water levels, drawdowns timed to the dam's purpose, and shoreline mix dominated by structures built post-impoundment.

Recreation is the headline purpose for the largest share of Kentucky's reservoirs — lakes where the dam exists explicitly to create surface water for fishing, boating, and adjacent shoreline development. Pool levels are typically maintained more stably than at flood-control or hydro reservoirs, which supports fixed-dock access, consistent boat ramps, and the kind of shoreline economy that natural-lake counterparts in the state share.

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 Kentucky reservoirs were built

Recreation

Water Supply

Flood Risk Reduction

Other

Total reservoirs

48,702

Total surface acres

1,121,462

Normal storage (ac-ft)

High or Significant hazard

All 83 Kentucky reservoirs (by surface area)

Reservoir	County	Grade	Surface area	Year built	Purpose	Hazard
Barren River Lake	Barren	NR	10,000 ac	1964	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Cave Run Lake	Rowan	NR	8,270 ac	1965	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Nolin Lake	Edmonson	B	5,790 ac	1963	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Rough River Lake	Breckinridge	C	5,100 ac	1959	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Taylorsville Lake	Spencer	NR	3,050 ac	1983	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Grayson Lake	Carter	B	1,510 ac	1968	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Buckhorn Lake	Perry	NR	1,230 ac	1960	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Paintsville Lake	Johnson	NR	1,139 ac	1980	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Paintsville Lake	Johnson	C	1,139 ac	1980	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Fishtrap Lake	Pike	B	1,131 ac	1969	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Lake Malone	Logan	B	826 ac	1961	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Lake Beshear	Christian	B	794 ac	1962	Water Supply	Significant
Cedar Creek Lake	Lincoln	B	784.4 ac	1999	Recreation	High
Wood Creek Lake	Laurel	C	672 ac	1969	Water Supply	High
Lake Linville	Rockcastle	NR	373.1 ac	1968	Water Supply	High
Energy Lake	Trigg	D	370 ac	1965	Other	Low
Lake Peewee	Hopkins	B	360 ac	1953	Water Supply	High
Guist Creek Lake	Shelby	D	333.1 ac	1961	Water Supply	High
Williamstown Lake	Grant	C	300 ac	1957	Water Supply	Significant
Spa Lake	Logan	D	244 ac	1973	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Cannon Creek Lake	Bell	C	243 ac	1972	Water Supply	High
Herb Smith Lake	Harlan	C	219 ac	1963	Recreation	High
Campbell County Lake	Campbell	C	193 ac	1962	Recreation	High
Greenbo Lake	Greenup	C	180.8 ac	1955	Recreation	High
Kincaid Lake	Pendleton	C	179 ac	1961	Recreation	High
Lake Morris	Christian	D	170 ac	1966	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Taylor Fork Lake	Madison	D	168.8 ac	1966	Recreation	High
Freeman Lake	Hardin	B	160.2 ac	1966	Water Supply	High
Beaver Lake	Anderson	NR	158 ac	1963	Recreation	High
Owsley Fork Reservoir	Madison	B	151.6 ac	1974	Water Supply	High
Sympson Lake	Nelson	NR	151 ac	1963	Water Supply	Significant
Bullock Pen Lake	Boone	D	150 ac	1953	Water Supply	High
Lake Elmer Davis	Owen	D	148.8 ac	1958	Recreation	Significant
Loch Mary Reservoir	Hopkins	B	148 ac	1950	Water Supply	High
Lake Jericho	Henry	D	137 ac	1967	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Shanty Hollow Lake	Warren	B	135 ac	1950	Recreation	Low
Willisburg Lake	Washington	NR	126.1 ac	1968	Water Supply	High
Lake Cannigo	Nicholas	C	114 ac	1963	Recreation	High
Mill Creek Lake	Monroe	D	109.1 ac	1972	Recreation	High
Salem Lake	Larue	NR	99.3 ac	1977	Water Supply	High
Panbowl Lake	Breathitt	C	98.1 ac	1961	Recreation	High
Corinth Lake	Grant	C	95.5 ac	1962	Recreation	High
Boltz Lake	Grant	D	91.8 ac	1956	Recreation	High
Winchester Reservoir	Clark	D	90 ac	1985	Water Supply	High
Lake Blythe	Christian	C	89.2 ac	1962	Recreation	High
Beulah Lake	Jackson	C	87 ac	1969	Water Supply	High
Cap Mauzy Lake	Union	B	83.2 ac	1945	Recreation	Significant
Lake Liberty	Casey	NR	79.3 ac	1979	Water Supply	High
Caneyville Reservoir	Grayson	C	77 ac	1965	Flood Risk Reduction	Significant
Lake Reba	Madison	D	76.4 ac	1935	Recreation	High
Sand Lick Creek Lake	Fleming	C	74.3 ac	1968	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Campbellsville City Reservoir	Taylor	D	63 ac	1951	Water Supply	Significant
Carpenters Lake	Daviess	C	62.2 ac	1936	Recreation	Low
Beech Fork Reservoir	Powell	C	61.1 ac	1988	Water Supply	High
Luzerne Lake	Muhlenberg	B	59.3 ac	1940	Recreation	High
Shelby Lake	Shelby	D	57 ac	1955	Recreation	Significant
Reformatory Lake	Oldham	NR	54 ac	1955	Other	Low
Laurel Creek Reservoir	McCreary	C	54 ac	1987	Water Supply	Significant
Lake George	Crittenden	NR	51 ac	1964	Water Supply	Significant
Doe Run Lake	Kenton	C	50.7 ac	1980	Flood Risk Reduction	High
Benjy Kinman Lake	Henry	D	49.6 ac	1992	Recreation	Low
Moffit Lake	Union	B	48.6 ac	1965	Recreation	Low
Grapevine Lake	Hopkins	B	48.5 ac	1930	Recreation	Significant
Pennyrile Lake	Christian	B	47.1 ac	1940	Recreation	Low
Mc Neely Lake	Jefferson	NR	46.5 ac	1953	Recreation	Significant
Mill Creek Lake	Wolfe	C	40.6 ac	1964	Recreation	High
Stanford Reservoir	Lincoln	B	40 ac	1953	Water Supply	High
Combs Lake	Clay	C	36.3 ac	1963	Water Supply	High
Smoky Valley Lake	Carter	C	35.3 ac	1953	Recreation	Significant
Chenoa Lake	Bell	C	33.5 ac	1953	Recreation	High
Kingfisher Lakes	Daviess	D	32 ac	1942	Recreation	Low
Fishpond Lake	Letcher	C	31.6 ac	1964	Recreation	High
Marion County Sportsmans Lake	Marion	NR	31.6 ac	1953	Recreation	High
General Butler State Park Lake	Carroll	D	31 ac	1950	Recreation	Low
Long Run Lake	Jefferson	C	27 ac	1968	Recreation	Significant
Sportsman Club Lake	Taylor	NR	27 ac	1951	Recreation	Low
Lake Washburn	Ohio	B	25.8 ac	1950	Recreation	Low
County Lake	Metcalfe	NR	21.7 ac	1970	Recreation	Low
Campton Lake	Wolfe	B	19.3 ac	1963	Water Supply	High
Briggs Lake	Logan	C	17.7 ac	1945	Recreation	Low
Dewey Lake	Floyd	C	—	1950	Flood Risk Reduction	High
West Fork Drakes Reservoir	Simpson	C	—	1975	Water Supply	Significant
Providence City Lake New	Webster	B	—	1945	Water Supply	Significant

Frequently Asked Questions

How many reservoirs are in Kentucky?

83 of 189 graded Kentucky lakes (44%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 70 are rated High or Significant hazard, meaning failure would put downstream lives or property at substantial risk. The oldest matched dam dates to 1930.

What's the largest reservoir in Kentucky?

The largest matched reservoir in Kentucky is Barren River Lake in Barren County at 10,000 acres of normal surface area, impounded by the Barren River Dam (completed 1964).

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 Kentucky reservoirs

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

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More on reservoirs and water quality

Are Reservoirs Cleaner Than Natural Lakes?

Dam-built reservoirs and natural lakes graded side by side on the same nutrient and algae measurements — the gap, the reasons behind it, and the exceptions.

Do Deeper Lakes Have Better Water Quality?

Surveyed maximum depth against A–F nutrient-and-algae grades: the pattern, the shallow lakes that still grade an A, and why land use beats bathymetry.

Lake Water Quality Grades Explained: What A–F Means

How lakes are graded A–F on nutrients and algae using EPA ecoregion condition classes, what each letter means in the water, and why an A is not a clearance.

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 grade.

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.