King Lake
DeKalb County, Missouri184 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for King Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 34 ft max depth
- Public access
King Lake in DeKalb County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 186 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 39.2 µg/L. Surface area: 184 acres.
King Lake is a 184-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in DeKalb County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 34 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 4 other monitored lakes in DeKalb County, King Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-06-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What King 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. King Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether King 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 King Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for King 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 0.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 186 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 39.2 µg/L. TSI 76.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 0.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 186µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 39.2µg/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. | 76 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about King Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
King Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 80°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in May (about 72°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (72°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 21 field readings (2013–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full King Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~34 ft est.
Surface area
184 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 King Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
19 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
948 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
- King 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 King Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near King Lake in DeKalb 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 King Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near King Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 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 King Lake → · more Missouri lake trips
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Fishing King Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+23.92 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+20.27 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
King Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the King Lake Dam (completed 1971), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the LOST CREEK; earth-type dam, 40 ft tall and 1,920 ft long.
- Surface area
- 184 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,293 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 4,773 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 19.06 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- MO DEPT OF CONSERVATION
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10384 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
King 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_7112.00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in DeKalb County
Frequently asked questions about King Lake
Where is King Lake?
- King Lake is a lake in DeKalb County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of King Lake?
- King Lake in DeKalb County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 0.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 186 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 39.2 µg/L. Surface area: 184 acres.
Is King Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. King 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 King Lake?
- King Lake typically sits around 81°F at the surface in August, from 21 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2013–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is King Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers King Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 34 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 184 acres.
Are there boat ramps on King Lake?
- King Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include King Lake Conservation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at King Lake?
- King 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 King Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Missouri
Other Lakes in Missouri
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
39 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
UMC35 samples · 2020–2024 - Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources
MDNR4 samples · 2020–2023
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