North Lake
Cass County, Missouri28 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for North Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 25 ft max depth
- Public access
North Lake in Cass County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 152 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 60.3 µg/L. Surface area: 28 acres.
North Lake is a 28-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Cass County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 25 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Cass County, North Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-08-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What North 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. North Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether North 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 North Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for North 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 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 152 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 60.3 µg/L. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 152µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 60.3µg/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. | 73 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about North Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
North Lake typically sits around 83°F at the surface in August. 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 58 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full North Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~25 ft est.
Surface area
28 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 North Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
945 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
- North Lake (Harrisonville)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near North Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near North Lake in Cass 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 North Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near North 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 whole trip? See where to stay at Missouri’s top lakes →
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Fishing North Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-3.59 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.76 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
North Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the North Lake Dam (completed 1955), built primarily for recreation on the TR-POLECAT CREEK; earth-type dam, 28 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 28 ac
- Normal storage
- 233 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 419 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1,280 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- CITY OF HARRISONVILLE
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO20078 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
North 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_7218.00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of North Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Peculiar WwtpPeculiar · 4.1 mi away · NPDES MO0089443Recent 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 Cass County
Frequently asked questions about North Lake
Where is North Lake?
- North Lake is a lake in Cass County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of North Lake?
- North Lake in Cass County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 152 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 60.3 µg/L. Surface area: 28 acres.
Is North Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. North 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 North Lake?
- North Lake typically sits around 83°F at the surface in August, from 58 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is North Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers North Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 25 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 28 acres.
Are there boat ramps on North Lake?
- North Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include North Lake (Harrisonville). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at North Lake?
- North 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 North Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Missouri
Other Lakes in Missouri
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
85 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
UMC84 samples · 2020–2024 - Missouri Dept. of Natural Resources
MDNR1 sample · 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
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