Updated Aug 2026
Missouri Lake Water Quality
Water quality grades for 278 monitored lakes across 77 counties.
Across Missouri, 278 lakes carry an active water-quality grade spread over 77 counties. The underlying measurements come from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, alongside federal programs and volunteer monitoring networks. Around 18% of the state's lakes pull an A — 51 top-tier waters. The B and C brackets together hold most of the rest, with the F bracket capturing 55 stressed lakes mostly in the agricultural south of the state.
The state's lakes lean eutrophic: enough nutrient input to support an active algal community, with the trade-offs in clarity and dissolved oxygen that come with it. The cleanest county on average is Clark (grade A); the most-stressed is Cass. The gap between the top and bottom counties is large enough that "Missouri lake water quality" hides real local variation.
Grade Distribution
All 278 Missouri lakes in the index: 216 (77.7%) carry an A–F grade and 62 (22.3%) are not rated, because they lack enough recent nutrient or algae sampling to support a letter.
Where to stay near Missouri
Top-rated places to stay near Missouri
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Top-Graded Missouri Lakes
The highest water-quality grades in Missouri — clarity, depth, and A-F grade at a glance.
Lake Map
Explore Missouri Lakes
Missouri reports, fishing & travel
Missouri's cleanest and most-polluted lakes, ranked A–F
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Missouri's top lakes, each with its grade
Best-graded lakes within 50 miles of St. Louis
Best-graded lakes within 50 miles of Kansas City
Best-graded lakes within 50 miles of Springfield
Reservoirs in Missouri
View all 161 reservoirs →161 of 278 Missouri lakes (58%) are man-made reservoirs in the USACE National Inventory of Dams. 126 carry a High or Significant hazard rating. The oldest matched dam dates to 1870.
EPA-Impaired Lakes in Missouri
View all 132 impaired lakes →132 of 278 Missouri lakes (47%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 12 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.
Missouri Fishing & Recreation
Licenses, regulations, records, and where to fish across Missouri.
Counties
All 77 Missouri counties, ranked by average lake water quality. Compare them against every county nationwide in the county rankings, browse the full directory of graded lakes, or pick a different state.
Missouri Lake Water Quality Dataset (2026)
Every graded Missouri lake in one spreadsheet — A–F grade, water clarity, phosphorus, chlorophyll-a, trophic state, size, public access, and a link to each lake's report card.
Top 25 Cleanest Lakes
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ASherwood Lake | Warren | A | 5.9 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 2 | ALake Taneycomo @ Rockaway Beach | Taney | A | 8.7 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 3 | AFox Valley Lake | Clark | A | 8.5 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 4 | ATable Rock Lk. Into Main Channel From Dam Lake | Stone | A | 7.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 5 | AClearwater Lake | Wayne | A | 5.7 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 6 | ABull Shoals Lake | Taney | A | 8.1 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 7 | ALake Shayne-Terre du Lac Lakes | Washington | A | 11.1 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 8 | ALake Konstanz | Warren | A | 7.7 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 9 | ALake Capri | St. Francois | A | 16.3 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 10 | AInnsbrook Lake | Warren | A | 5.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 11 | AWeatherby Lake | Platte | A | 6.2 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 12 | ATable Rock L. Ab. Carter Br. Lake | Barry | A | 6.8 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 13 | ALake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes | St. Francois | A | 14.1 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 14 | ACouncil Bluff Lake | Iron | A | 13.1 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 15 | AForest Lake | Adair | A | 4.1 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 16 | ABowling Green Lake | Pike | A | 5.5 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 17 | ALake Taneycomo | Taney | A | 8.9 ft | Oligotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 18 | ALake Taneycomo | Taney | A | 12.6 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 19 | ALake Wauwanoka | Jefferson | A | 12.9 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 20 | AFellows Lake | Greene | A | 7.2 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 21 | AStockton Lake by Dam | Cedar | A | 7.9 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
| 22 | AAlpine Lake | Warren | A | 12.6 ft | Oligotrophic | Not recorded |
| 23 | ACastlenovo Lake | Warren | A | 6 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 24 | ASherwood Lake | Warren | A | 4.9 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 25 | ATable Rock Lk. Btwn Campbell Point Rd And Hendrickson School Rd Lake | Stone | A | 6.9 ft | Mesotrophic | ✓ Public |
25 Lakes Needing Attention
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FLoose Park Lake | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 2 | FWashington Lake | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 3 | FBlue River Parkway Lake | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 4 | FValley Lake | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 5 | FKessler Lake | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 6 | FChaumiere Park Lake | Clay | F | No recent samples |
| 7 | FLake of the Woods | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 8 | FFirehouse Park Lake | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 9 | FTroost Lake | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 10 | FTroost Lake | Jackson | F | No recent samples |
| 11 | FMckee Prairie Pond | Jackson | F | 1.3 ft |
| 12 | FElmwood Lake | Sullivan | F | 2.7 ft |
| 13 | FCedar Lake | Boone | F | 2.1 ft |
| 14 | FGopher Lake | Jackson | F | 1.2 ft |
| 15 | FJamesport Community Lake | Daviess | F | 0.9 ft |
| 16 | FRocky Fork Lake | Boone | F | 2.3 ft |
| 17 | FShelbyville Lake | Shelby | F | 1 ft |
| 18 | FHouston Lake | Platte | F | 1.1 ft |
| 19 | FFon-du-Lac Reservoir | Jefferson | F | 1.3 ft |
| 20 | FCameron Lake | DeKalb | F | 1.6 ft |
| 21 | FSterling Price Lake | Chariton | F | 1.5 ft |
| 22 | FCoot Lake | Jackson | F | 1.6 ft |
| 23 | FAshland Lake | Boone | F | 1.9 ft |
| 24 | FLake Wappapello,Lost Cr. Arm @Sanderson Pt. | Wayne | F | 1.3 ft |
| 25 | FMontrose Lake | Henry | F | 0.6 ft |
Lake Match
Which lake suits how you actually use one?
Six questions — swimming, fishing, quiet, cabins, drive time — and a shortlist of graded lakes that fit, with the water quality behind each one.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys and the EPA Water Quality Portal.
More on lake water quality
The top-graded lake in every state we cover, picked grade-first with water clarity as the tie-breaker — plus the states whose winner is still not clean.
State-by-state Secchi champions: the clearest measured lake in each U.S. state we grade, which is not the same as the cleanest nutrient grade.
A data snapshot of the lakes we grade: how the A–F distribution breaks down, the clearest and the greenest states, and where the water is improving.
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.