Higginsville South Lake
Lafayette County, Missouri151 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Higginsville South Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 40 ft max depth
- Public access
Higginsville South Lake in Lafayette County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 91.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.3 µg/L. Surface area: 151 acres.
Higginsville South Lake is a 151-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Lafayette County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 40 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-08-06. 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. Higginsville South Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Higginsville South 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 Higginsville South Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Higginsville South 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 1.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 91.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 29.3 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 91.3µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 29.3µg/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. | 67 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Higginsville South Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Higginsville South Lake typically sits around 83°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 83°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in May (about 71°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (71°F) to its warmest (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 64 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Higginsville South Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~40 ft est.
Surface area
151 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 Higginsville South Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
761 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 Higginsville South Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Higginsville South Lake in Lafayette 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 Higginsville South Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Higginsville South Lake
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Fishing Higginsville South Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.54 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-6.85 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Higginsville South Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Higginsville South Reservoir Dam (completed 1949), built primarily for water supply on the JOHNSON CREEK; earth-type dam, 34 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 151 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,661 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,747 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3,400 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- CITY OF HIGGINSVILLE
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10146 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Higginsville South 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_7190.00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
6 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Higginsville South Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Higginsville South WwtfHigginsville · 2.2 mi away · NPDES MO0023108Recent violation
- Corder South WwtfCorder · 2.5 mi away · NPDES MO0022934
- Wincup Higginsville PlantHigginsville · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MONX00435
- United Parcel Service Ups HigginsvilleHigginsville · 3.6 mi away · NPDES MONX00913
- Corder North WwtfCorder · 3.7 mi away · NPDES MO0022926
- United Parcel Service - HigginsvilleHigginsville · 4.6 mi away · NPDES MONX00691
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 Lafayette County
Frequently asked questions about Higginsville South Lake
Where is Higginsville South Lake?
- Higginsville South Lake is a lake in Lafayette County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Higginsville South Lake?
- Higginsville South Lake in Lafayette County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 91.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.3 µg/L. Surface area: 151 acres.
Is Higginsville South Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Higginsville South 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 Higginsville South Lake?
- Higginsville South Lake typically sits around 83°F at the surface in August, from 64 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Higginsville South Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Higginsville South Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 40 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 151 acres.
Can I fish at Higginsville South Lake?
- Public access to Higginsville South Lake 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.
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Where this data comes from
85 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC85 samples · 2020–2024
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
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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)