Nell Lake
Jackson County, Missouri30 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Nell Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
Nell Lake in Jackson County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 132.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 67 µg/L. Surface area: 30 acres.
Nell Lake is a 30-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, Nell Lake ranks #11 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2022-08-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Nell Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Nell 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 Nell Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Nell 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 1.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 132.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 67 µg/L. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 133µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 67µg/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. | 73 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Nell Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Nell Lake typically sits around 84°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 87°F) and coldest in Jun (about 83°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (83°F) to its warmest (87°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 19 field readings (2010–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Nell Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
30 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Nell Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Nell Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Nell Lake 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 Nell Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Nell Lake
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Fishing Nell Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+14.04 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+5.81 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Nell Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Nell Dam (completed 1955), built primarily for recreation on the TR-EAST BR-BIG CREEK; earth-type dam, 30 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 30 ac
- Normal storage
- 250 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 482 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 310 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MO DEPT OF CONSERVATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO20029 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Nell 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_7403.00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Jackson County
Frequently asked questions about Nell Lake
Where is Nell Lake?
- Nell Lake 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 Nell Lake?
- Nell Lake in Jackson County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 132.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 67 µg/L. Surface area: 30 acres.
Is Nell Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Nell 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 Nell Lake?
- Nell Lake typically sits around 84°F at the surface in August, from 19 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Nell Lake across LakeQuality
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Hypereutrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
60 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC60 samples · 2020–2022
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