Hemitite Lake
St. Francois County, Missouri220 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Hemitite Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
Hemitite Lake in St. Francois County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 186.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 91.9 µg/L. Surface area: 220 acres.
Hemitite Lake is a 220-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in St. Francois County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in St. Francois County, Hemitite Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-08-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hemitite Lake covers about 220 acres in St. Francois County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Hemitite Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Hemitite 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. Hemitite Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hemitite 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 Hemitite Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Hemitite 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 1.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 186.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 91.9 µg/L. TSI 77.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 187µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 91.9µg/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. | 77 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Hemitite Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Hemitite Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 83°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in May (about 77°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (77°F) to its warmest (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 61 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hemitite Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~50 ft est.
Surface area
220 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 Hemitite Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
16 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,033 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
- Bismarck 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 Hemitite Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hemitite Lake in St. Francois 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 Hemitite Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Hemitite Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 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 Hemitite Lake → · more Missouri lake trips
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Fishing Hemitite Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.74 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-9.73 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hemitite Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hematite Lake Dam (completed 1944), built primarily for water supply on the ST FRANCOIS RIVER; gravity-type dam, 24 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 220 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,760 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,825 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 10,250 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- HANNA MINING CO
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO30001 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.1 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Hemitite 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MO_7331.00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Hemitite Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Washington County Pwsd 4 WwtpBismarck · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MO0132519Recent violation
- Iron Mountain Lake WwtfIron Mountain · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MO0122581Recent violation
- Bismarck WwtpBismarck · 3 mi away · NPDES MO0022942Recent violation
- Bismarck W StormwaterBismarck · 3.3 mi away · NPDES MO0049000
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 St. Francois County
Frequently asked questions about Hemitite Lake
Where is Hemitite Lake?
- Hemitite Lake is a lake in St. Francois County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hemitite Lake?
- Hemitite Lake in St. Francois County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 186.9 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 91.9 µg/L. Surface area: 220 acres.
Is Hemitite Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hemitite Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Hemitite Lake?
- Hemitite Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in September, from 61 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hemitite Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hemitite Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 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 220 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Hemitite Lake?
- Hemitite Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bismarck Conservation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Hemitite Lake?
- Hemitite 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.
Explore Hemitite Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Missouri's top lakes, each with its readings
Missouri's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Hypereutrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
92 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
UMC88 samples · 2020–2024 - Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources
MDNR4 samples · 2023–2024
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory