Hunnewell Lake
Shelby County, Missouri228 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae sit mid-range for this region.
↑ up from D at the last regrade
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- #1 of 2 in the county
- 35 ft max depth
Hunnewell Lake in Shelby County, Missouri has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 3.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.4 µg/L. Surface area: 228 acres.
- Clarity
- 3.2 ft
- Typical in September
- 77°F
- Max depth
- ~35 ft est.
- Area
- 228 acres
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Phosphorus
- 36 µg/L
- Chlorophyll-a
- 15.4 µg/L
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
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Watch Hunnewell Lake’s letter
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Hunnewell Lake is a 228-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Shelby County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. Water quality is graded C based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Shelby County, Hunnewell Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-09-20. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Hunnewell Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: C (Fair)
Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 36 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 15.4 µg/L. TSI 58. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 36 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 15.4 µg/L | Fair |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 58 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Water Temperature
Hunnewell Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 82°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in Apr (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 141 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hunnewell Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~35 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~12 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 228 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 Hunnewell 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 Hunnewell Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.138 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -3.04 µg/L/yr | 5 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -4.22 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hunnewell Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hunnewell Lake Dam (completed 1953), built primarily for recreation on the TR TO BROWNE BRANCH; earth-type dam, 45 ft tall and 1,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 228 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,204 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,736 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.98 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- MO DEPT OF CONSERVATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10106 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Hunnewell Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MO_7029.00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Hunnewell Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Hunnewell WwtfHunnewell · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MO0084972Recent 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.
County Ranking
Ranked #1 of 2 lakes in Shelby County
Nearby Lakes in Shelby County
Frequently asked questions about Hunnewell Lake
Where is Hunnewell Lake?
- Hunnewell Lake is a lake in Shelby County, Missouri. LakeQuality grades it C for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Hunnewell Lake?
- Hunnewell Lake in Shelby County, Missouri has a water quality grade of C (Fair). Water clarity: 3.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 36 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.4 µg/L. Surface area: 228 acres.
Is Hunnewell Lake safe to swim in?
- The C is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Hunnewell Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Hunnewell Lake?
- Hunnewell Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in September, from 141 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hunnewell Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hunnewell Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 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 228 acres.
Explore Hunnewell Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
176 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
UMC173 samples · 2020–2024 - Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources
MDNR3 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
- Nitrogen and Phosphorus, Total, Whole-water, Alkaline Persulfate Digest
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)