Chariton County Lake Quality
Missouri, 10 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
Chariton County has 10 monitored lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. 3 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Chariton County averages to a C. The distribution behind that average matters more than the letter: a few stressed lakes versus many decent ones can produce the same average as the inverse.
The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the grades sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest lake on the books is Lake Nehai Tonkayea (A); the most-stressed is Sterling Price Lake (F).
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Quick Answers for Chariton County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Lake Nehai Tonkayea — or check the official Missouri fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Chariton County
10 lakes · 3 graded, 7 not rated3 graded lakes · 7 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALake Nehai TonkayeaChariton | A | 8 ft | 10 µg/L | 1.3 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | CMarceline City Lake NewChariton | C | 3.5 ft | 45.7 µg/L | 15.6 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | FSterling Price LakeChariton | F | 1.5 ft | 128.5 µg/L | 78.8 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| NRWhiteside LakeChariton | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRCut-Off LakeChariton | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRSilver LakeChariton | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRSouth LakeChariton | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRGrassy LakeChariton | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRSwan LakeChariton | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRStanley LakeChariton | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not 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
See how Chariton 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.