Cameron Lake Deep Site
DeKalb County, Missouri21 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Cameron Lake Deep Site. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 36 ft max depth
- Public access
Cameron Lake Deep Site in DeKalb County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 106 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 34.5 µg/L. Surface area: 21 acres.
Cameron Lake Deep Site is a 21-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in DeKalb County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 36 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in DeKalb County, Cameron Lake Deep Site ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-09-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae 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 Cameron Lake Deep Site 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.
Water quality measurements for Cameron Lake Deep Site
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Cameron Lake Deep Site, 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 1.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 106 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 34.5 µg/L. TSI 68.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 106µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 34.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 68 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Cameron Lake Deep Site
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Cameron Lake Deep Site typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 82°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 84°F) and coldest in Sep (about 68°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (68°F) to its warmest (84°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 41 field readings (2016–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Cameron Lake Deep Site water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~36 ft est.
Surface area
21 acres
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 Cameron Lake Deep Site.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
5 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
928 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Cameron Lake Deep Site
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Cameron Lake Deep Site in DeKalb 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 Cameron Lake Deep Site are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Cameron Lake Deep Site
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Fishing Cameron Lake Deep Site
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Stable-1.83 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.47 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Cameron Lake Deep Site is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Cameron City Reservoir #1 Dam (completed 1925), built primarily for water supply on the TRIBUTARY TO GRINDSTONE CREEK; earth-type dam, 36 ft tall and 550 ft long.
- Surface area
- 21 ac
- Normal storage
- 154 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 630 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.61 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF CAMERON
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10042 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.33 km)
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Cameron Lake Deep Site under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Cameron WwtpCameron · 3.2 mi away · NPDES MO0104299MajorRecent violation
- Rockwood Creek Mobile Home Village WwtfCameron · 3.5 mi away · NPDES MO0123960Recent violation
- Country Hills Estates WwtpCameron · 4 mi away · NPDES MO0132144Recent violation
- Durham School Services, LpCameron · 1.3 mi away · NPDES MONX00472
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in DeKalb County
Frequently asked questions about Cameron Lake Deep Site
Where is Cameron Lake Deep Site?
- Cameron Lake Deep Site is a lake in DeKalb County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cameron Lake Deep Site?
- Cameron Lake Deep Site in DeKalb County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 106 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 34.5 µg/L. Surface area: 21 acres.
Is Cameron Lake Deep Site safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Cameron Lake Deep Site?
- Cameron Lake Deep Site typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September, from 41 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Cameron Lake Deep Site?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Cameron Lake Deep Site, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 36 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 21 acres.
Can I fish at Cameron Lake Deep Site?
- Public access to Cameron Lake Deep Site is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.
Explore Cameron Lake Deep Site across LakeQuality
More lakes in Missouri
Other Lakes in Missouri
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
274 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC271 samples · 2020–2024 - Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources
MDNR3 samples · 2020
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
- Nitrogen and Phosphorus, Total, Whole-water, Alkaline Persulfate Digest
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)