Impaired Lakes in Missouri
135 of 317 graded Missouri lakes (43%) are officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. 13 have an approved TMDL restoration plan.
Top Causes of Impairment in Missouri
Reading the Missouri impairment landscape
Missouri reports 135 impaired lakes — 43% of the state's 317 tracked water bodies. That share is high enough to make impairment a meaningful planning concern: roughly one in four lakes carries at least one §303(d) listing for a pollutant exceeding standards. The list below isn't a niche concern — it's a significant chunk of the state's surface-water inventory.
The leading impairment cause in Missouri is Algal growth. Each impairment category carries its own use-restriction implications — some affect fish consumption, some affect swimming, some affect aquatic-life habitat. Click through to the specific lake records below for the pollutant list and the TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load) status, which determines whether a cleanup plan is in place.
Impaired-waters listings come from the state environmental agency's §303(d) submission to EPA, refreshed on a roughly 2-year cycle. A listed lake stays on the list until either a TMDL is established and the cleanup completes, or subsequent monitoring shows the pollutant concentrations no longer exceed water-quality standards. The list below reflects the most recent available Missouri submission to the EPA Assessment, Total Maximum Daily Load Tracking and Implementation System (ATTAINS) dataset.
All 135 EPA-Listed Impaired Lakes in Missouri
| Lake | County | Grade | Causes | TMDL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Capri | St. Francois | A | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Lake Shayne-Terre du Lac Lakes | Washington | A | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Lake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes | St. Francois | A | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Lake Taneycomo Nr. Roark Cr. | Taney | A | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Lake Wauwanoka Nr. Dam | Jefferson | A | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Timberline Lakes | St. Francois | A | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Lake Taneycomo Ab. Bee Cr. Arm | Taney | A | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Fourche Creek Lake | Ripley | A | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Fox Valley Lake | Clark | B | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Lake Taneycomo | Taney | B | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Fellows Lake | Greene | B | Mercury | — |
| North Bethany City Reservoir | Harrison | B | Mercury | — |
| Forest Lake | Adair | B | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Lake of the Woods | Boone | B | Mercury | — |
| Table Rock L. Ab. Oswalt Bluff Lake | Stone | B | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Weatherby Lake | Platte | B | Algal growth, Mercury, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| James R. Just Ab. Lake Springfield | Greene | B | Algal growth | — |
| Lake Buteo | Johnson | B | Mercury | — |
| Table Rock Lake | Stone | B | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Lake Taneycomo | Taney | B | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Milan Lake North | Sullivan | B | Algal growth | — |
| Little Prairie Lake by Dam | Phelps | C | Mercury | — |
| Bowling Green Lake | Pike | C | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Clearwater Lake | Reynolds | C | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Waukomis Lake | Platte | C | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Hazel Creek Lk. Lake | Adair | C | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Little Prairie Lake | Phelps | C | Mercury | — |
| Peaceful Valley Lake | Gasconade | C | Algal growth | — |
| Forest Lake Se Branch | Adair | C | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Peaceful Valley Lake | Gasconade | C | Algal growth | — |
| Long Branch L. Lake | Macon | C | Algal growth | — |
| Monroe City Lake B Nr. Dam | Monroe | C | Algal growth | — |
| Clearwater Lake | Reynolds | C | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Phillips Lake | Boone | C | Mercury | — |
| Mark Twain Lake | Monroe | C | Mercury | — |
| Longview Lake by Dam | Jackson | C | Mercury | — |
| Hazel Creek Lk. Lake | Adair | C | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| Marceline City Lake New Nr. Dam | Chariton | C | Algal growth | — |
| Bethel Lake | Boone | C | Algal growth | — |
| Rinquelin Trail Comm. Lake | Maries | C | Mercury | — |
| Happy Holler Lake | Andrew | C | Algal growth | — |
| Thomas Hill Lake @ Hwy T | Macon | C | Algal growth | — |
| Sugar Creek Lake | Randolph | D | Mercury | — |
| Ben Branch Lake by Dam | Osage | D | Mercury | — |
| Hunnewell Lake | Shelby | D | Mercury | — |
| Shepard Mountain Lake Intake | Iron | D | Algal growth | — |
| Long Branch Lk. Lake | Macon | D | Algal growth | — |
| Pomme de Terre L. Central Arm Lake | Hickory | D | Algal growth | — |
| L. Ste. Louise Lake | St. Charles | D | Mercury | — |
| Hazel Creek Lk. East Fork Lake | Adair | D | Algal growth, Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | — |
| L. Ste. Louise Lake | St. Charles | D | Mercury | — |
| Deer Ridge Comm. Lake | Lewis | D | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Indian Hills Lake Nr. Dam | Crawford | D | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Indian Creek Lake | Livingston | D | Mercury | — |
| Longview L. Nr. Dam Lake | Jackson | D | Mercury | — |
| Frisco Lake | Phelps | D | Mercury | — |
| Pomme de Terre Lake | Hickory | D | Algal growth | — |
| Pomme de Terre Lake | Hickory | D | Algal growth | — |
| Smithville Lake | Clay | D | Algal growth | — |
| Sugar Creek Lake | Randolph | D | Mercury | — |
| Lake Springfield | Greene | D | Algal growth | — |
| Hazel Hill Lake by Dam | Johnson | D | Algal growth | — |
| Pony Express Lake | DeKalb | D | Algal growth | — |
| Macon City Lake | Macon | D | Algal growth | — |
| Sunnen Lake | Washington | D | Algal growth | — |
| Buffalo Bill Lake Nr. Access | DeKalb | D | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Hamilton Lake | Caldwell | D | Algal growth | — |
| Jamesport City Lake | Daviess | D | Algal growth | — |
| Lakewood Greenway Lake | Clay | D | Mercury | — |
| Nodaway Lake | Nodaway | D | Algal growth | — |
| Lake St. Louis | St. Charles | D | Algal growth | — |
| Binder Lake | Cole | D | Algal growth | — |
| Manito Lake by Dam | Moniteau | D | Algal growth | — |
| Simpson Park Lake | St. Louis | D | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Harrison County Lake Intake | Harrison | D | Algal growth, Mercury | ✓ |
| Sugar Creek Lake North Arm | Randolph | D | Mercury | — |
| Simpson Park Lake | St. Louis | D | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Lake Paho | Mercer | D | Mercury | — |
| Belcher Branch Lake | Buchanan | D | Mercury | — |
| Pomme de Terre Lake | Hickory | D | Algal growth | — |
| Foxboro Lake | Franklin | D | Mercury | — |
| Cottontail Lake | Jackson | F | Mercury | — |
| Lamar City Lk. South Arm Lake | Barton | F | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Lake of the Woods-Kc | Jackson | F | Mercury | — |
| Lamar City Lk. East Arm Lake | Barton | F | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Little Dixie Lk. Lake | Callaway | F | Algal growth | — |
| Harrisonville City Lake | Cass | F | Algal growth | — |
| Lamar City Lk. Nr. Dam Lake | Barton | F | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Lake St. Louis by Dam | St. Charles | F | Algal growth | — |
| Raintree Lake | Cass | F | Algal growth | — |
| Lamar City Lk. Up Northern Arm Lake | Barton | F | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Blind Pony Lake | Saline | F | Algal growth | — |
| Mark Twain Lake | Monroe | F | Mercury | — |
| Coot Lake | Jackson | F | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Harrison County Lake | Harrison | F | Algal growth, Mercury | ✓ |
| Pomme de Terre Lake | Hickory | F | Algal growth | — |
| Mckay Park Lake | Cole | F | Mercury | — |
| Edwin A Pape Lake | Lafayette | F | Algal growth | — |
| Harrisonville Lake | Cass | F | Algal growth | — |
| Elmwood Lake | Sullivan | F | Algal growth | — |
| North Lake | Cass | F | Algal growth | — |
| Drexel City Reservoir South Nr. Dam | Bates | F | Algal growth | — |
| Jackrabbit Lake | Jackson | F | Algal growth | — |
| Cameron Lake Deep Site | DeKalb | F | Algal growth | — |
| Hemitite Lake | St. Francois | F | Algal growth | — |
| Vandalia Community Lake | Audrain | F | Algal growth | — |
| Lamar City Lk. Nr. Upper End Lake | Barton | F | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Nell Lake | Jackson | F | Algal growth | — |
| Unionville Lake | Putnam | F | Algal growth | — |
| Lake Luna | Cass | F | Algal growth | — |
| Clearwater Lake @ Bluff View Park | Reynolds | F | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Higginsville South Lake | Lafayette | F | Algal growth | — |
| Spring Fork Lake | Pettis | F | Algal growth | ✓ |
| Chaumiere Lake | Clay | F | Mercury | — |
| King Lake | DeKalb | F | Algal growth | — |
| Montrose Lake | Henry | F | Algal growth | — |
| Sterling Price Lake | Chariton | F | Algal growth | — |
| Crowder S.P. Lake | Grundy | F | Mercury | — |
| Knox Village Lake | Jackson | F | Mercury | — |
| Cameron Lake Nr. Dam | DeKalb | F | Algal growth | — |
| Shelbyville Lake | Shelby | F | Algal growth | — |
| Mozingo Lake | Nodaway | F | Algal growth, Mercury | — |
| Pomme de Terre Lake | Hickory | F | Algal growth | — |
| Holden City Lake Nr. Dam | Johnson | F | Mercury | — |
| Jamesport Community Lake | Daviess | F | Algal growth | — |
| Gopher Lake | Jackson | F | Algal growth | — |
| Cedar Lake | Boone | F | Algal growth | — |
| Bee Tree Lake | St. Louis | F | Mercury | — |
| Lake Taneycomo | Taney | F | Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) | ✓ |
| Lewis Lake | Stoddard | F | Mercury | — |
| Lake of the Woods | Jackson | F | Mercury | — |
| Chaumiere Park Lake | Clay | F | Mercury | — |
| Catclaw Lake | Jackson | F | Algal growth | — |
| Limpp Lake | Gentry | F | Algal growth | — |
| Perry City Lake | Ralls | F | Algal growth | — |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lakes are impaired in Missouri?
135 of 317 graded Missouri lakes (43%) are listed as impaired in the most recent EPA ATTAINS reporting cycle. Of those, 124 are on the federal Clean Water Act §303(d) list and 13 have an approved Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) restoration plan.
What does Clean Water Act §303(d) mean?
Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act requires every state to identify waters that don't meet water quality standards even after pollution control measures. Each listed water must then have a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) developed — a plan that caps how much of each pollutant can enter the waterbody. The "303(d) list" is the impaired-waters list. The EPA reviews each state's list every two years.
What are the top causes of impairment in Missouri?
The most common causes flagged across Missouri's impaired lakes are: Algal growth (84 lakes); Mercury (51 lakes); Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen) (25 lakes). Mercury is widespread in fish tissue across the upper Midwest from atmospheric deposition. Nutrient impairment (phosphorus, nitrogen) typically reflects agricultural runoff and urban stormwater.
Can I swim in an impaired lake?
It depends on the cause of impairment. A lake impaired for "mercury in fish tissue" is generally safe to swim in — the warning is about long-term consumption of fish. A lake impaired for "pathogens" (E. coli) or "algal growth" may pose a swimming risk and often has a separate beach advisory. Check the cause categories listed for each lake below, and consult your state health department's beach monitoring program for current advisories.
Where does this impairment data come from?
Every impairment record on this page comes from the EPA's ATTAINS (Assessment and TMDL Tracking and Implementation System) public dataset, the federal repository of state-reported water quality assessments. EPA ATTAINS is published as GeoParquet files on the EPA Office of Water S3 bucket and refreshed several times per year. Causes and use-support codes follow EPA's standard taxonomy.
Data source
Impairment data from the EPA ATTAINS (Assessment and TMDL Tracking and Implementation System) public dataset. Assessment unit IDs are matched to LakeGrade waterbodies by name and proximity; some lakes may not appear here if their ATTAINS name doesn't match our naming convention. For an official query, consult Missouri's state water-quality agency.