Oswego Lake
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Oswego Lake has a reported maximum depth of 123 ft, and covers about 841 acres in Kosciusko County, Indiana. The Indiana DNR survey maps contours down to 40 ft; the depth between 40 ft and 123 ft is interpolated rather than measured. Coverage is sparse: about 94% of this lake lies well away from any surveyed contour, so most of the shape shown there is interpolated between distant measurements rather than mapped. Depths come from the Indiana DNR survey of 2018.
Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.
Depth below 40 ft is interpolated. The survey's own contours stop at 40 ft, while it reports a maximum of 123 ft. The basin between those two depths is inferred by the model, not measured — so the shape of the deep hole is an estimate, and the deep-spot marker shows the deepest depth actually surveyed.
- Deepest mapped contour
- 40 ft
- Survey year
- 2018
- Surface area
- 841 acres
- Shoreline
- 16.09 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 3% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- By water from another ramp · Indiana DNR: “Use Grassy Creek Ramp”
Additional depth details2 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–123 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 40 ft
Provenance
Sources: IN DNR Lake Bathymetry, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
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Map details & sources4 sources
All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.
Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 41.32682, -85.76569
- IN DNR lake ID
- 155351279
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.4×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.1 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-21Oswego Lake has a substantially developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, nearby higher-volume roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Modest | 3.6 of 30 | 37% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (16% forest, 17% wetland; 48% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Good | 12.3 of 25 | mean fetch 1,403 m · 9% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch |
| Watercraft controls | None identified | 7.5 of 15 | No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law. |
| Public access | Good | 12.8 of 15 | 1 DNR fishing access site · DNR directs boaters to a ramp on connected water |
| Road isolation | Mixed | 4.0 of 15 | nearby higher-volume roads · 14 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 4,655 vehicles/day |
Additional paddling considerations
These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.
- Wake sensitivity
- Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
- Aquatic vegetation
- Low — approximately 3% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
- Observed motorized activity
- Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
- Wildlife habitat potential
- Limited — 16% forest and 17% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Indiana lakes by Paddling Index →
Oswego Lake — common questions
How deep is Oswego Lake?
The Indiana DNR reports a maximum depth of 123 ft for Oswego Lake. The survey's own contours reach 40 ft, so the depth below that is interpolated from the reported maximum rather than mapped.
How big is Oswego Lake?
Oswego Lake covers about 841 acres in Kosciusko County, Indiana.
Is there public access to Oswego Lake?
The Indiana DNR lists Oswego Lake as open to the public by water rather than from a ramp of its own: its access record reads "Oswego Lake (Use Grassy Creek Ramp)". The launch is on connected water, not on Oswego Lake itself.
Is the depth of Oswego Lake measured or estimated?
The survey contours reach 40 ft while the survey reports a maximum of 123 ft, so the basin between those depths is inferred by the model rather than measured.
