1
Seetal Lake
Gasconade County, Missouri · 20.8 mi from Ben Branch Lake by Dam
- ++3.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (17 vs 30.4 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Ben Branch Lake by Dam
5 lakes with lower nutrient and algae readings within 30 miles, ranked by the size of the improvement and by proximity.
Ben Branch Lake by Dam carries nutrient and algae readings on record. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes read lower. Seetal Lake (Gasconade County, 20.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated
2
Crow Pond
Callaway County, Missouri · 22.7 mi from Ben Branch Lake by Dam
3
Peaceful Valley Lake
Gasconade County, Missouri · 19.9 mi from Ben Branch Lake by Dam
4
Lost Valley Lake
Gasconade County, Missouri · 22.6 mi from Ben Branch Lake by Dam
- +Lower phosphorus (22.7 vs 30.4 µg/L)
5
Mckee Pond
Boone County, Missouri · 26.3 mi from Ben Branch Lake by Dam
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Where to stay near Ben Branch Lake by Dam
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Ben Branch Lake by Dam in Missouri. The 5 lakes above sit within 30 miles, so one base reaches them all. Switch the map to Satellite to see how close each stay is to the water.
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Reading the cohort
Within 30 miles of Ben Branch Lake by Dam, 5 water bodies carry lower nutrient and algae readings on the same EPA water-quality metrics. That density of cleaner options is itself a signal: when several nearby lakes read better on the same indicators, the differences at Ben Branch Lake by Dam are typically lake-specific (depth, watershed inflow, stratification pattern) rather than regional. The choice for a swim, paddle, or fishing trip is genuinely between meaningfully different water bodies, not between marginal differences in the same dataset.
The nearest cleaner alternative — Seetal Lake in Gasconade County — sits 20.8 miles from Ben Branch Lake by Dam, putting it firmly in "destination trip" rather than "neighborhood swap" range. The water-quality gap has to be the deciding factor; for a casual outing, Ben Branch Lake by Dam is the practical choice and the cleaner options are reserved for purpose-specific visits.
Each lake's nutrient and algae readings — total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity — are shown beside the EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition class for that lake's own ecoregion, so a reading is compared against the lakes it would naturally resemble. LakeQuality publishes no letter grade. Lower readings mean measurably less nutrient and algae in the water, not better scenery or access: the lake with the clearest, lowest-nutrient water can have worse boat-launch facilities or shoreline access than a neighbor, so the comparison is one input alongside the rest of trip planning. How the readings are classified is on our methodology page.
How this list is built
Sampled lakes on LakeQuality carry readings from EPA Water Quality Portal samples — nutrients and algae measured against EPA National Lakes Assessment ecoregion classes. Secchi is shown, not scored. To suggest cleaner alternatives, we filter lakes within 30 miles to those with strictly lower nutrient and algae readings, then rank by the size of the improvement with a small proximity tiebreak. Cross-state and limited-data lakes are excluded so the list stays locally relevant.