Herrington Lake, Kentucky
Kentucky's deepest lake at 249 feet. Built in 1925 by Kentucky Utilities to generate hydroelectric power. Owned by a private utility — not USACE, not TVA — which changes nearly every regulatory question a buyer needs to ask. Lexington is 25 miles north. The lake buyers find when they want depth, history, and proximity to the Bluegrass.
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Submit a Photo →A Private-Utility Lake in the Heart of the Bluegrass
Herrington Lake is one of the oldest major reservoirs in the eastern United States, created in 1925 when Kentucky Utilities dammed the Dix River to generate hydroelectric power. The Dix Dam — the largest earth-filled dam in the world at the time of its construction — created a 2,335-acre lake that reaches 249 feet at its deepest point, a depth unmatched by any other Kentucky lake. Kentucky Utilities Company owns the shoreline to elevation 760 feet above sea level, making Herrington Lake fundamentally different from Corps of Engineers lakes like Lake Cumberland or Dale Hollow, and from TVA lakes like Kentucky Lake. Dock permits, shoreline access, and water level management are all governed by county ordinances and KU's operating decisions — not federal agencies with published permit processes.
The lake sits at the boundary of Mercer, Garrard, and Boyle counties. Harrodsburg — the oldest permanent English settlement west of the Allegheny Mountains — anchors the Mercer County shore. Danville, home to Centre College, is approximately 20 minutes from most lake properties. Lexington, with the full amenity set of a mid-size Kentucky city including UK Medical Center, is approximately 25 miles north.
The Coal Ash History: What Every Buyer Deserves to Know
The E.W. Brown Generating Station on the Mercer County shore has burned coal since the 1950s. Coal ash ponds associated with the plant have leaked selenium, arsenic, and boron into the lake's groundwater. This is documented in Kentucky Division of Water records, KU's own testing, and federal court filings. KU spent over $100 million closing ash ponds under EPA requirements. The current fish consumption advisory status for Herrington Lake should be confirmed directly with the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection (dep.ky.gov) before purchasing — particularly for buyers who plan to eat fish they catch. This is the defining disclosure issue at Herrington Lake that no local agent website addresses.
No competitor site discloses this. No listing agent volunteers it. It belongs in every buyer's research before making an offer on any Herrington Lake property.
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