Bilby Ranch Lake
Nodaway County, Missouri110 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Bilby Ranch Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 30 ft max depth
- Public access
Bilby Ranch Lake in Nodaway County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 51.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24.1 µg/L. Surface area: 110 acres.
Bilby Ranch Lake is a 110-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Nodaway County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 30 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Nodaway County, Bilby Ranch Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-07-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bilby Ranch Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bilby Ranch Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Bilby Ranch Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Bilby Ranch Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.4 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 51.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 24.1 µg/L. TSI 62.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 51.7µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 24.1µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Bilby Ranch Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bilby Ranch Lake typically sits around 83°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in May (about 69°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (69°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 60 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bilby Ranch Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~30 ft est.
Surface area
110 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Missouri DNR
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Missouri has not published bathymetry for Bilby Ranch Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
988 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bilby Ranch Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bilby Ranch Lake in Nodaway County, Missouri — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Bilby Ranch Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Bilby Ranch Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Bilby Ranch Lake → · more Missouri lake trips
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Fishing Bilby Ranch Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.21 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Bilby Ranch Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bilby Ranch Dam (completed 1991), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the TR NODAWAY RIVER; earth-type dam, 54 ft tall and 1,482 ft long.
- Surface area
- 110 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,360 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,970 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.75 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MO DEPT OF CONSERVATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO12280 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Nodaway County
Frequently asked questions about Bilby Ranch Lake
Where is Bilby Ranch Lake?
- Bilby Ranch Lake is a lake in Nodaway County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bilby Ranch Lake?
- Bilby Ranch Lake in Nodaway County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 51.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24.1 µg/L. Surface area: 110 acres.
Is Bilby Ranch Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bilby Ranch Lake?
- Bilby Ranch Lake typically sits around 83°F at the surface in August, from 60 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bilby Ranch Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bilby Ranch Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 30 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 110 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Bilby Ranch Lake?
- Bilby Ranch Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bilby Ranch Lake Conservation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bilby Ranch Lake?
- Bilby Ranch Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Missouri's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Bilby Ranch Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
86 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC86 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk in meters
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory