Cole Lake
Jefferson County, Missouri42 acresView mapDirections
Not enough samples to grade — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years). No letter yet. Here is what we do have.
- 22 ft max depth
- Limited data
Cole Lake in Jefferson County, Missouri is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Surface area: 42 acres.
- Max depth
- ~22 ft est.
- Area
- 42 acres
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Watch Cole Lake’s letter
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Why Cole Lake has no grade
We grade a lake only when the monitoring record supports a letter: at least three phosphorus or chlorophyll-a samples in the last ten years, scored against EPA National Lakes Assessment thresholds for this lake’s ecoregion. For Cole Lake, no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
Not Rated is not an F. It is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. The water here may be excellent or poor; nobody has measured enough of it to say. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by Missouri DNR and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Cole Lake is a 42-acre lake in Jefferson County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 22 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2020-11-07. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Cole Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
No clarity data.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples |
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~22 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~11 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 42 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Missouri has not published bathymetry for Cole Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Cole Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Cole Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Coles Lake Dam (completed 1948), built primarily for recreation on the TR TIFF CREEK; earth-type dam, 37 ft tall and 1,370 ft long.
- Surface area
- 42 ac
- Normal storage
- 445 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 605 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.21 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- TRUSTEES OF COLE LAKE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO30440 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.11 km)
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Cole Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Sunrise R-9 Elementary School WwtpDe Soto · 2.1 mi away · NPDES MO0092762Recent violation
- Valle Lake Sewer District WwtpDe Soto · 3.8 mi away · NPDES MO0100749Recent violation
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.
Graded lakes near Cole Lake
Cole Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Jefferson County
Frequently asked questions about Cole Lake
Where is Cole Lake?
- Cole Lake is a lake in Jefferson County, Missouri. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Cole Lake?
- Cole Lake in Jefferson County, Missouri is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Surface area: 42 acres.
Is Cole Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cole Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Cole Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 22 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 42 acres.
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC3 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
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)