Phillips Lake
Boone County, Missouri33 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Phillips Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 57 ft max depth
- Public access
Phillips Lake in Boone County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 35.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.8 µg/L. Surface area: 33 acres.
Phillips Lake is a 33-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Boone County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 57 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 9 other monitored lakes in Boone County, Phillips Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-11-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Phillips Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Phillips Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Phillips 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 Phillips Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Phillips 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 2.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 35.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 8.8 µg/L. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 35.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 8.8µg/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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Phillips Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Phillips Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in Apr (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 80 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Phillips Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~57 ft est.
Surface area
33 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 Phillips Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
764 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
- A. Perry Philips Park Lake (Columbia)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 Phillips Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Phillips Lake
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Fishing Phillips Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.7 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.53 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Phillips Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Philips Park Lake Dam (completed 1965), built primarily for recreation on the TR-CLEAR CREEK; earth-type dam, 46 ft tall and 985 ft long.
- Surface area
- 33 ac
- Normal storage
- 653 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 653 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.56 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- THE CITY OF COLUMBIA
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10019 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.08 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Phillips 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: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MO_7628.00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
13 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Phillips Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 5 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Usdoi, Columbia Env. Research Cntr WwtfColumbia · 1.2 mi away · NPDES MO0003999Recent violation
- Woodstock Mobile Home ParkColumbia · 1.4 mi away · NPDES MO0082066Recent violation
- Magellan Pipeline Co, L.P. - ColumbiaColumbia · 1.7 mi away · NPDES MO0106402Recent violation
- Bonne Femme MhcColumbia · 2.1 mi away · NPDES MO0126977Recent violation
- High Hill Circle Mhp WwtfColumbia · 2.1 mi away · NPDES MO0100625Recent violation
- University Of Missouri Komu Tv 8 WwtfColumbia · 1.4 mi away · NPDES MO0123901
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 Boone County
Frequently asked questions about Phillips Lake
Where is Phillips Lake?
- Phillips Lake is a lake in Boone County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Phillips Lake?
- Phillips Lake in Boone County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 35.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 8.8 µg/L. Surface area: 33 acres.
Is Phillips Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Phillips Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Phillips Lake?
- Phillips Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in October, from 80 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Phillips Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Phillips Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 57 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 33 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Phillips Lake?
- Phillips Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include A. Perry Philips Park Lake (Columbia). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Phillips Lake?
- Phillips 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 Phillips Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
104 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC104 samples · 2020–2024
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