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LakeQuality
Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water
NR

Buchanan County Lake Quality

Missouri, 6 lakes — no lake here has enough monitoring data for a grade

Buchanan County holds 6 monitored lakes. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. No lake in Buchanan County has enough sampling behind it for an A–F grade yet. The 6 monitored lakes below carry whatever clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a measurements exist.

Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow, under 50 feet, which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed.

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Where to stay near Buchanan County

Top-rated places to stay near Buchanan County

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Quick Answers for Buchanan County

Cleanest lakes in Buchanan County →Cleanest lakes in Missouri →Safest swimming lakes in Missouri →

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Belcher Branch Lake — or check the official Missouri fishing regulations.

All Lakes in Buchanan County

6 lakes · 0 graded, 6 not rated0 graded lakes · 6 not rated, hidden

#LakeGradeClarityPhosphorusAlgaeTrophicAccess
NRBelcher Branch LakeBuchananNR1 ft44 µg/L44.9 µg/LNo recent samples✓ Public
NROld Mud LakeBuchananNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRNew Mud LakeBuchananNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRLewis and Clark LakeBuchananNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRHorseshoe LakeBuchananNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
NRLake ContraryBuchananNRNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded

NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.

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Other Counties in Missouri

Clark County

2 lakes · Avg grade A

Washington County

9 lakes · Avg grade A

Pike County

5 lakes · Avg grade A

Ripley County

3 lakes · Avg grade A

Mercer County

4 lakes · Avg grade A

Ste. Genevieve County

10 lakes · Avg grade A

See how Buchanan County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.