Henry Sever Lake
Knox County, Missouri160 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Henry Sever Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
Henry Sever Lake in Knox County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 58 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 25.4 µg/L. Surface area: 160 acres.
Henry Sever Lake is a 160-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Knox County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 31 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 Henry Sever 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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Henry Sever 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 Henry Sever Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Henry Sever 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 2.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 58 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 25.4 µg/L. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 58µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 25.4µg/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. | 64 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Henry Sever Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Henry Sever Lake typically sits around 83°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 82°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in May (about 74°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (74°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 60 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Henry Sever Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 ft est.
Surface area
160 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 Henry Sever Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
712 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
- Henry Sever Lake 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 Henry Sever Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Henry Sever Lake in Knox 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 Henry Sever Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Henry Sever Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Henry Sever Lake → · more Missouri lake trips
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Fishing Henry Sever Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.57 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.31 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Henry Sever Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Henry Sever Dam (completed 1961), built primarily for recreation on the MEYERS BRANCH; earth-type dam, 41 ft tall and 1,160 ft long.
- Surface area
- 160 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,101 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,265 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.1 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- MO DEPT OF CONSERVATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10110 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Henry Sever Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Newark WwtfNewark · 0.9 mi away · NPDES MO0129976Recent violation
- Heartland Community WwtfNewark · 3.6 mi away · NPDES MO0119130Recent violation
- Labelle Dairy, LlcLa Belle · 4.1 mi away · NPDES MO0119962Recent 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.
Nearby Lakes in Knox County
Frequently asked questions about Henry Sever Lake
Where is Henry Sever Lake?
- Henry Sever Lake is a lake in Knox County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Henry Sever Lake?
- Henry Sever Lake in Knox County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 58 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 25.4 µg/L. Surface area: 160 acres.
Is Henry Sever Lake 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 Henry Sever Lake?
- Henry Sever Lake typically sits around 83°F at the surface in August, from 60 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Henry Sever Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Henry Sever Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 160 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Henry Sever Lake?
- Henry Sever Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Henry Sever Lake Conservation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Henry Sever Lake?
- Henry Sever 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 Henry Sever Lake across LakeQuality
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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
UMC88 samples · 2020–2024 - Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources
MDNR1 sample · 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 (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
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