Macon City Lake
Macon County, Missouri205 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Macon City Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 43 ft max depth
- Public access
Macon City Lake in Macon County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 56.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24.3 µg/L. Surface area: 205 acres.
Macon City Lake is a 205-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Macon County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 43 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Macon County, Macon City Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-08-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Macon City 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. Macon City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Macon City 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 Macon City Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Macon City 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 1.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 56.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 24.3 µg/L. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 56.6µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 24.3µg/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. | 64 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Macon City Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Macon City Lake typically sits around 82°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 82°F) and coldest in Jun (about 81°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (81°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2023–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Macon City Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~43 ft est.
Surface area
205 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 Macon City Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
810 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
- Macon City LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Macon City Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Macon City Lake in Macon 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 Macon City Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Macon City Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Macon City Lake → · more Missouri lake trips
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Fishing Macon City Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.18 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.36 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Macon City Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Macon Lake Dam (completed 1927), built primarily for water supply on the DUCK CREEK; earth-type dam, 42 ft tall and 1,200 ft long.
- Surface area
- 205 ac
- Normal storage
- 2,250 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 2,250 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.33 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF MACON
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10153 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.16 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Macon City 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_7168.00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
8 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Macon City Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Macon WwtpMacon · 3 mi away · NPDES MO0023221MajorRecent violation
- Farmers Mutual InsuranceMacon · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MO0038776Recent violation
- Dan Arnold LagoonMacon · 2.8 mi away · NPDES MO0057088Recent violation
- Economy Products CompanyMacon · 1.1 mi away · NPDES MONX00229
- Dennis L RaisheMacon · 1.3 mi away · NPDES MO0125997
- Macon Precision Machining LlcMacon · 2 mi away · NPDES MONX00252
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 Macon County
Frequently asked questions about Macon City Lake
Where is Macon City Lake?
- Macon City Lake is a lake in Macon County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Macon City Lake?
- Macon City Lake in Macon County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 56.6 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24.3 µg/L. Surface area: 205 acres.
Is Macon City Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Macon City 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 Macon City Lake?
- Macon City Lake typically sits around 82°F at the surface in August, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Macon City Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Macon City Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 43 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 205 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Macon City Lake?
- Macon City Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Macon City Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Macon City Lake?
- Macon City 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 Macon City Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
28 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC28 samples · 2023–2024
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory