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LakeQuality

Blue Springs Lake

Jackson County, MissouriView mapDirections

Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Blue Springs Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
2.6 ft
Typical for Missouri
Secchi · sampled 2023
Phosphorus
32.3 µg/L
Typical for Missouri
Measured by Missouri DNR
Chlorophyll-a
27.4 µg/L
Typical for Missouri
Measured by Missouri DNR
Max depth
~42 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Type
Eutrophic
Trophic class
  • Eutrophic
  • 42 ft max depth
  • Public access

Blue Springs Lake in Jackson County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27.4 µg/L.

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Blue Springs Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Jackson County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 22 other monitored lakes in Jackson County, Blue Springs Lake ranks #7 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2023-09-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Blue Springs Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch2 documented ramps

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Algae 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 Blue Springs 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.

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Water quality measurements for Blue Springs Lake

These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Blue Springs 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 2.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 32.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 27.4 µg/L. TSI 60.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)2.6ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus32.3µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)27.4µg/LPoor
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.60Eutrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Blue Springs Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

→ Blue Springs Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading

Lake Details

Max depth

~42 ft est.

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 Blue Springs Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

34 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Surface area

603 acres

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

7.6 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

814 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

2
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Blue Springs LakePublic
  • Blue Springs LakePublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Blue Springs Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Blue Springs Lake in Jackson 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 Blue Springs Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Blue Springs Lake

Prices for Nov 6–8, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Blue Springs Lake → · more Missouri lake trips

Follow Blue Springs Lake’s readings

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Fishing Blue Springs Lake

3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.

  • Water clarity

    Improving

    3 years

  • Phosphorus

    Improving

    -3.35 µg/L/yr3 years

  • Chlorophyll-a

    Improving

    -7.3 µg/L/yr3 years

Nearby Lakes in Jackson County

Frequently asked questions about Blue Springs Lake

Where is Blue Springs Lake?

Blue Springs Lake is a lake in Jackson County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Blue Springs Lake?

Blue Springs Lake in Jackson County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 32.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27.4 µg/L.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Blue Springs Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Blue Springs Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Blue Springs Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.

Are there boat ramps on Blue Springs Lake?

Blue Springs Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Blue Springs Lake, Blue Springs Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at Blue Springs Lake?

Blue Springs Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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.

Access on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

45 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Univ. of Missouri, ColumbiaUMC45 samples · 2021–2023

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