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LakeQuality

Port Perry Lake South Arm

Perry County, Missouri187 acresView mapDirections

Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Port Perry Lake South Arm. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
9.5 ft
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2024
Phosphorus
8.3 µg/L
Less phosphorus than most
Measured by Missouri DNR
Chlorophyll-a
2.3 µg/L
Less algae than most
Measured by Missouri DNR
Area
187 acres
Surface area
Type
Mesotrophic
Trophic class
  • Mesotrophic
  • Limited data

Port Perry Lake South Arm in Perry County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 187 acres.

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Port Perry Lake South Arm is a 187-acre mesotrophic lake in Perry County, Missouri. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Perry County, Port Perry Lake South Arm ranks #2 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2024-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited data

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. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Port Perry Lake South Arm 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.

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Water quality measurements for Port Perry Lake South Arm

These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Port Perry Lake South Arm, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft. Phosphorus 8.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 39.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)9.5ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus8.3µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)2.3µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.39Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Port Perry Lake South Arm

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Surface area

187 acres

No bathymetric survey has been published for Port Perry Lake South Arm, so its depth is not documented here.

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Stays near Port Perry Lake South Arm

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Fishing Port Perry Lake South Arm

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Port Perry Lake South Arm is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Port Perry Dam (completed 1973), built primarily for recreation on the TR NATIONS CREEK; earth-type dam, 70 ft tall and 900 ft long.

Surface area
187 ac
Normal storage
828 ac-ft
Max storage
6,506 ac-ft
Drainage area
3.11 sq mi
Hazard class
High

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO30030 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.73 km)

Nearby Lakes in Perry County

Frequently asked questions about Port Perry Lake South Arm

Where is Port Perry Lake South Arm?

Port Perry Lake South Arm is a lake in Perry County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Port Perry Lake South Arm?

Port Perry Lake South Arm in Perry County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 187 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Port Perry Lake South Arm safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

21 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Univ. of Missouri, ColumbiaUMC21 samples · 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.