Lake of the Woods
Jackson County, Missouri6 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake of the Woods. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Lake of the Woods in Jackson County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 111 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 40.9 µg/L. Surface area: 6 acres.
Lake of the Woods is a 6-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Jackson County, Missouri. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 22 other monitored lakes in Jackson County, Lake of the Woods ranks #18 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-09-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria tested: low
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.
Based on E. coli testing, Lake of the Woods never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 10 samples across 4 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Missouri’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether Lake of the Woods 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 Lake of the Woods
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Lake of the Woods, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 111 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 40.9 µg/L. TSI 70.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 111µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 40.9µg/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. | 70 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake of the Woods
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake of the Woods typically sits around 76°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 80°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 84°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 (84°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 46 field readings (2010–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Lake Details
Surface area
6 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Lake of the Woods, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake of the Woods
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake of the Woods in Jackson 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 Lake of the Woods are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake of the Woods
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Lake of the Woods
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+9.49 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+3.15 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake of the Woods is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Gregory Blvd Dam (completed 1907), built primarily for other on the TR-BLUE RIVER; earth-type dam, 29 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 6 ac
- Normal storage
- 60 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 93 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 830 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- BRD OF PRKS+REC COMMISSN
All listed purposes: Other;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO20147 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.13 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Lake of the Woods 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: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MO_7629.00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Jackson County
Frequently asked questions about Lake of the Woods
Where is Lake of the Woods?
- Lake of the Woods is a lake in Jackson County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake of the Woods?
- Lake of the Woods in Jackson County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 111 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 40.9 µg/L. Surface area: 6 acres.
Is Lake of the Woods safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Lake of the Woods never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 10 samples across 4 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Lake of the Woods is safe to swim in today is a call for Missouri's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lake of the Woods?
- Lake of the Woods typically sits around 76°F at the surface in September, from 46 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Lake of the Woods across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
28 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- EPA R7
EPA_R7_WQX28 samples · 2021–2024
Analytical methods
- Total Phosphorus After Block Digestion
- Nutrient Analysis
- Chlorophyll a
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- Total Nitrogen Calculation
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