Lincoln Lake
Lincoln County, Missouri48 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Lincoln Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 39 ft max depth
Lincoln Lake in Lincoln County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Surface area: 48 acres.
Lincoln Lake is a 48-acre mesotrophic lake in Lincoln County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 39 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Lincoln County, Lincoln Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-08-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lincoln Lake covers about 48 acres in Lincoln County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Lincoln Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Lincoln Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria tested: exceedances
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, Lincoln Lake occasionally exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 9.1% of 264 samples across 8 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Lincoln Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft. Phosphorus 12.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.6 µg/L. TSI 45.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 12.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 45 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lincoln Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lincoln Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 83°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in May (about 73°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (73°F) to its warmest (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 76 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lincoln Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~39 ft est.
Surface area
48 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 Lincoln Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
600 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
Public campgrounds near Lincoln Lake
- Cuivre River State Park Campground1.5 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lincoln Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lincoln Lake in Lincoln 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Lincoln Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Missouri’s top lakes →
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Fishing Lincoln Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Stable-0.06 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.98 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lincoln Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Lincoln Dam (completed 1965), built primarily for recreation on the DRY BRANCH SUGAR CREEK; earth-type dam, 69 ft tall and 535 ft long.
- Surface area
- 48 ac
- Normal storage
- 815 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,233 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.53 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- MO. DNR PARKS
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10215 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
21 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lincoln Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 2 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 13 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Troy Hwy 47 WwtpTroy · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MO0054623MajorRecent violation
- Troy Southeast WwtpTroy · 3.8 mi away · NPDES MO0131296MajorRecent violation
- Gsa Camp Tuckaho WwtpTroy · 2.5 mi away · NPDES MO0045497Recent violation
- Brussels Valley Estates WwtpTroy · 3 mi away · NPDES MO0130117Recent violation
- Circle Woods MhpFoley · 3.4 mi away · NPDES MO0119041Recent violation
- Lcpwsd No.1 To Bobs Creek WwtfWinfield · 3.5 mi away · NPDES MO0121886Recent 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 Lincoln County
Frequently asked questions about Lincoln Lake
Where is Lincoln Lake?
- Lincoln Lake is a lake in Lincoln County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lincoln Lake?
- Lincoln Lake in Lincoln County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Surface area: 48 acres.
Is Lincoln Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Lincoln Lake occasionally exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 9.1% of 264 samples across 8 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 Lincoln Lake 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 Lincoln Lake?
- Lincoln Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in September, from 76 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Lincoln Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lincoln Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 39 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 48 acres.
Are there campgrounds on Lincoln Lake?
- Lincoln Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Cuivre River State Park Campground. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Lincoln Lake across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Missouri
Mesotrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
143 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
UMC142 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)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles