Deer Ridge Comm. Lake
Lewis County, Missouri48 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Deer Ridge Comm. Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
Deer Ridge Comm. Lake in Lewis County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 44.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 21.2 µg/L. Surface area: 48 acres.
Deer Ridge Comm. Lake is a 48-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Lewis 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 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-07-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Deer Ridge Comm. Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. Deer Ridge Comm. Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Deer Ridge Comm. 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.
Water quality measurements for Deer Ridge Comm. Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Deer Ridge Comm. 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 2.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 44.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 21.2 µg/L. TSI 60.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 44.2µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 21.2µg/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. | 60 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Deer Ridge Comm. Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Deer Ridge Comm. Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 82°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 84°F) and coldest in May (about 73°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (73°F) to its warmest (84°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 62 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Deer Ridge Comm. Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~42 ft est.
Surface area
48 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 Deer Ridge Comm. Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
682 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
- Deer Ridge Conservation AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Deer Ridge Comm. Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Deer Ridge Comm. Lake in Lewis 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 Deer Ridge Comm. Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Deer Ridge Comm. Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Deer Ridge Comm. Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-7.85 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-7.4 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Deer Ridge Comm. Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Deer Ridge Community Lake Dam (completed 1960), built primarily for recreation on the TR-NORTH FABIUS RIVER; earth-type dam, 38 ft tall and 500 ft long.
- Surface area
- 48 ac
- Normal storage
- 528 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 608 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.95 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- MO DEPT OF CONSERVATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10109 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.04 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Deer Ridge Comm. Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MO_7015.00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lewis County
Frequently asked questions about Deer Ridge Comm. Lake
Where is Deer Ridge Comm. Lake?
- Deer Ridge Comm. Lake is a lake in Lewis County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Deer Ridge Comm. Lake?
- Deer Ridge Comm. Lake in Lewis County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 44.2 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 21.2 µg/L. Surface area: 48 acres.
Is Deer Ridge Comm. Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Deer Ridge Comm. Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth, mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Deer Ridge Comm. Lake?
- Deer Ridge Comm. Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in September, from 62 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Deer Ridge Comm. Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Deer Ridge Comm. 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. The lake covers 48 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Deer Ridge Comm. Lake?
- Deer Ridge Comm. Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Deer Ridge Conservation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Deer Ridge Comm. Lake?
- Deer Ridge Comm. Lake has 1 documented boat landing 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.
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Where this data comes from
89 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC86 samples · 2020–2024 - Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources
MDNR3 samples · 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
- Nitrogen and Phosphorus, Total, Whole-water, Alkaline Persulfate Digest
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory