Who owns the water and the dam?

The dam's owner type is Private (USACE NID, record dated Apr 9, 2021). Checked Oct 4, 2026.

Is there a public launch?

No public launch on this lake is listed by PFBC or DCNR (checked Oct 4, 2026). Nearest listed: Big Bend on Shenango River Lake (USACE), 6.9 mi straight-line.

Can I run a motorboat?

Set by the lake's owner; ask (Question 6).

What does the dam's federal record say?

The National Inventory of Dams record for this lake's dam was last updated Apr 9, 2021, and the last inspection it reports was Oct 6, 2020. The dam section below shows the full record and what each value means.

Which township or borough is it in?

Its shoreline touches Coolspring Township in Mercer County and Jackson Township in Mercer County (PA municipal boundary map, checked Oct 4, 2026). Confirm which one the property is in.

Lake profile · Northwest

Lake Latonka (Mercer County, PA): what to check before you buy

CHECKED 2026-10-04

Short answers

Who owns the water and the dam?: The dam's owner type is Private (USACE NID, record dated Apr 9, 2021). Checked Oct 4, 2026.
Is there a public launch?: No public launch on this lake is listed by PFBC or DCNR (checked Oct 4, 2026). Nearest listed: Big Bend on Shenango River Lake (USACE), 6.9 mi straight-line.
Can I run a motorboat?: Set by the lake's owner; ask (Question 6).
What does the dam's federal record say?: The National Inventory of Dams record for this lake's dam was last updated Apr 9, 2021, and the last inspection it reports was Oct 6, 2020. The dam section below shows the full record and what each value means.
Has state sampling found algae problems?: State sampling data has 14 sample results for this lake (2019–2023); 13 were at Advisory (Yellow) or Avoid Contact (Red) levels. These are single-sample results, not a lake-wide status (checked Oct 4, 2026).
Which township or borough is it in?: Its shoreline touches Coolspring Township in Mercer County and Jackson Township in Mercer County (PA municipal boundary map, checked Oct 4, 2026). Confirm which one the property is in.

The facts, with sources

Facts for Lake Latonka: value, source and the date we checked it
Fact	Value	Source	Checked
Who owns or controls the dam	The dam's owner type is Private (USACE NID, record dated Apr 9, 2021).	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Public launch	No public launch on this lake is listed by PFBC or DCNR (checked Oct 4, 2026). Nearest listed: Big Bend on Shenango River Lake (USACE), 6.9 mi straight-line.	PFBC access areas (DEP eMapPA)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
NID hazard potential (Lake Latonka)	High Hazard potential describes what could happen downstream if the dam failed. It is not a rating of the dam's condition or of how likely it is to fail (USACE NID Data Dictionary). Condition assessments in the NID can be years old; ask the dam's owner for the latest state inspection report.	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
NID condition assessment (Lake Latonka)	Satisfactory (assessment date not reported)	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Year completed (Lake Latonka)	1966	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Dam owner type (Lake Latonka)	Private	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Regulator (Lake Latonka)	PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Emergency action plan reported (Lake Latonka)	not reported	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Last inspection reported (Lake Latonka)	2020-10-06	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
NID record date (Lake Latonka)	2021-04-09 This is an older record: USACE NID last updated it on Apr 9, 2021.	National Inventory of Dams (USACE)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
State HAB sample results (all seasons)	State sampling data has 14 sample results for this lake (2019–2023); 13 were at Advisory (Yellow) or Avoid Contact (Red) levels. These are single-sample results, not a lake-wide status (checked Oct 4, 2026).	PA HABs Dashboard data	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Lake outline area (USGS NHD)	About 255 acres (USGS NHD outline)	USGS National Hydrography Dataset	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Shoreline municipalities	Coolspring Township (Mercer County); Jackson Township (Mercer County)	PA municipal boundary map (DEP eMapPA)	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Municipal links: Coolspring Township	STR ordinance not found online	Municipal website	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date
Municipal links: Jackson Township	STR ordinance not found online	Municipal website	Checked 2026-10-04 Flag as out of date

Dam record from the National Inventory of Dams

Lake Latonka (PA00736) — main dam

Hazard potential: High
Condition: Satisfactory (assessment date not reported)
Year completed: 1966
Owner type: Private
Regulator: PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Emergency action plan reported: not reported
Last inspection reported: 2020-10-06
NID record date: 2021-04-09

Hazard potential describes what could happen downstream if the dam failed. It is not a rating of the dam's condition or of how likely it is to fail (USACE NID Data Dictionary). Condition assessments in the NID can be years old; ask the dam's owner for the latest state inspection report.

This is an older record: USACE NID last updated it on Apr 9, 2021.

Open this dam in the NID

State algae sampling, by season

State harmful algal bloom sample results matched to Lake Latonka
Season	Samples	Advisory (Yellow)	No HAB issue detected
2023	3	2	1
2020	6	6	0
2019	5	5	0

These are results of individual samples taken at particular spots and times. They are not a lake-wide status. Current results: PA HABs Dashboard.

Township and borough links

Zoning and short-term-rental rules come from the municipality, and a community's own rules can add more. We link to the municipality's pages; we don't summarise them.

Municipality	Municipal website	Zoning	Short-term rentals	Checked
Coolspring Township Mercer County	Municipal website	Ordinances page (Ordinance 89 Zoning amended 12-2023)	We didn't find a short-term-rental ordinance online for Coolspring Township on Oct 4, 2026. That doesn't mean rentals are unrestricted, and a community's own rules can also apply.	2026-10-04
Jackson Township Mercer County	Municipal website: not verified (checked Oct 4, 2026)	We didn't find a zoning page online.	We didn't find a short-term-rental ordinance online for Jackson Township on Oct 4, 2026. That doesn't mean rentals are unrestricted, and a community's own rules can also apply.	2026-10-04

Questions for this lake

What this lake's facts raise

Private dam
Who owns the dam today, and is that the same body that governs the community? (Get the name from your title work and the community's documents.)
High or Significant hazard
May I see the latest state inspection report and, for a Pennsylvania Category 1 or 2 dam, the engineer's most recent annual report?
Old record
Ask for the most recent inspection report.
No public launch
How do owners launch boats, and is there a fee, sticker or permit?
Short-term-rental ordinance not found
Ask Coolspring Township and Jackson Township whether it regulates short-term rentals, and get the answer in writing.
Multiple municipalities
Confirm which municipality the property is in.

The Lake Dossier for Lake Latonka has the full question set for every flag, plus a document request list.

Take it with you

Lake Dossier: Lake Latonka$14 Kit + this dossier$19 Bundle: every lake$39

PDF, delivered by email after PayPal confirms payment. All sales are final; see Refunds.

What we couldn't verify for this lake

A municipal website for Jackson Township (Mercer County)

Something here out of date? Use "Flag as out of date" next to the fact. See Corrections and how we gather the facts. Every page has a Markdown copy.

Sources

National Hydrography Dataset, Waterbody - Large Scale (The National Map) U.S. Geological Survey hydro.nationalmap.gov/arcgis/rest/services/nhd/MapServer/12 Checked 2026-10-04
eMapPA External Extraction layer 245 Municipalities Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection gis.dep.pa.gov/depgisprd/rest/services/emappa/eMapPA_External_Extraction/MapServer/245 Checked 2026-10-04
Municipal website, zoning and short-term-rental link check (compiled by Deed & Dock) Deed & Dock (WeldonPC) /sources#municipal-links Checked 2026-10-04
eMapPA External Extraction layer 81 PFBC Access Areas (OWNER field not downloaded) Pennsylvania DEP / Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission gis.dep.pa.gov/depgisprd/rest/services/emappa/eMapPA_External_Extraction/MapServer/81 Checked 2026-10-04
National Inventory of Dams Public Service (FeatureServer layer 0), Pennsylvania records U.S. Army Corps of Engineers geospatial.sec.usace.army.mil/dls/rest/services/NID/National_Inventory_of_Dams_Public_Service/FeatureServer/0 Checked 2026-10-04
PA HABs Dashboard data layer HABS2018_2021_FIXED (feeds dashboard 9b653809b2724ff299dc1b5b3d1c546b) Pennsylvania HABs Task Force (PA DEP / PA Department of Health) services1.arcgis.com/Nifc7wlHaBPig3Q3/arcgis/rest/services/HABS2018_2021_FIXED/FeatureServer/0 Checked 2026-10-04
Pennsylvania HABs Dashboard Pennsylvania HABs Task Force arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/9b653809b2724ff299dc1b5b3d1c546b Checked 2026-10-04
National Inventory of Dams web application (field definitions and help text) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nid.sec.usace.army.mil/nid/ Checked 2026-10-04

Cite this page

Lake Latonka (Mercer County, PA): what to check before you buy. Deed & Dock (lakepennsylvania.net). https://lakepennsylvania.net/lakes/lake-latonka. Facts checked 2026-10-04.