What is the water quality grade for Bee Tree Lake?

Bee Tree Lake in St. Louis County, Wisconsin received a water quality grade of F (Very Poor). Water clarity: 0.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 263 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 296.4 µg/L. Surface area: 9 acres.

Is Bee Tree Lake safe to swim in?

Avoid swimming, very poor water quality, potential algae toxins. Bee Tree Lake has an overall water quality grade of F. Algae concentration (chlorophyll-a) is 296.4 µg/L. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

Bee Tree Lake

St. Louis County, WisconsinHypereutrophic

Bee Tree Lake is a 9-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in St. Louis County, MO. Water quality is graded F based on 3 sampling years through 2023. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in St. Louis County, Bee Tree Lake ranks #8 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, local state DNR records, last sampled 2023-10-17. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Avoid swimming, very poor water quality, potential algae toxins

Water Quality Grade: F, Very Poor

Very murky, less than 0.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus level: 263 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a: 296.4 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 85.

Metric	Value	Grade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)	0.6 ft	F
Phosphorus	263 µg/L	F
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	296.4 µg/L	F
Trophic State Index (TSI)	85	Hypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Lake Details

Characteristic	Value
Surface Area	9 acres

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #8 of 9 lakes in St. Louis County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Bee Tree Lake holds Grade F. 5 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County

More Wisconsin Lake Rankings

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Top 25 by overall water quality score

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Other Grade F Lakes in Wisconsin

Lake of the Woods-Kc

Jackson County · Clarity: 2 ft

Lake St. Louis by Dam

St. Charles County · Clarity: 2.3 ft

Hemitite Lake

St. Francois County · Clarity: 1.1 ft

Blind Pony Lake

Saline County · Clarity: 2.3 ft

Stockton Lake Upstream of Hwy 123 Bridge

Polk County · Clarity: 1.2 ft

Little Dixie Lk. Lake

Callaway County · Clarity: 1.7 ft

Hypereutrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Hemitite Lake Stockton Lake Upstream of Hwy 123 Bridge Dairy Farm Lake No.1 Lake St. Louis Nr. Hwy 40

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Bee Tree Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Bee Tree Lake Dam (completed 1972), built primarily for recreation on the TR TO MERAMEC RIVER; earth-type dam, 18 ft tall.

Surface area: 9 ac
Normal storage: 40 ac-ft
Max storage: 87 ac-ft
Drainage area: 180 sq mi
Hazard class: High
Owner: ST. LOUIS COUNTY

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO31378 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Bee Tree Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MO_7309.00 · Official waterbody report

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Most recent sample: 2023-10-17

Monitoring stations: 1