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LakeQuality

Raintree Lake

Cass County, Missouri475 acresView mapDirections

F
Algae-prone

Nutrients and algae run well above the regional average.

Water temp
~77°F
Typical for Sep · EPA WQP
Clarity
2.5 ft
Secchi · sampled 2023
Max depth
~37 ft est.
GLOBathy model
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Improving
4 years of samples
  • Hypereutrophic
  • Impaired · Algal growth
  • #4 of 4 in the county
  • 37 ft max depth

Raintree Lake in Cass County, Missouri has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 66.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 34.5 µg/L. Surface area: 475 acres.

Clarity
2.5 ft
Typical in September
77°F
Max depth
~37 ft est.
Area
475 acres
Type
Hypereutrophic
Phosphorus
66.4 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a
34.5 µg/L
Trend
Improving
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Stays near Raintree Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Raintree 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Raintree Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Raintree Lake

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Raintree Lake is a 475-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Cass County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 37 feet. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2023. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Raintree Lake ranks #4 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2023-09-17. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

Swimming Safety

Grade only

Algae risk

Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.

The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Raintree Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Kansas City

Get alerts for Raintree Lake

Water Quality Grade: F (Algae-prone)

Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 66.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 34.5 µg/L. TSI 65. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)2.5 ftNot graded
Phosphorus66.4 µg/LPoor
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)34.5 µg/LPoor
Trophic State Index (TSI)65Hypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Water Temperature

Raintree Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 83°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 86°F) and coldest in May (about 71°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
71°
Jun
81°
Jul
86°
Aug
83°
Sep
77°
Oct
Nov
Dec

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 56 field readings (20102023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Raintree Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Maximum Depth~37 ft est.
Average Depth~11 ft est.
Surface Area475 acres

Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Missouri has not published bathymetry for Raintree Lake.

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area
8 sq mi
Shoreline
4.2 mi
Elevation
961 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.

Fishing Raintree Lake

Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+0.129 m/yr4
Phosphorus Improving-3.76 µg/L/yr4
Chlorophyll-a Improving-9.89 µg/L/yr4
See year-by-year chart →

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Raintree Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Raintree Lake Dam (completed 1974), built primarily for recreation on the MIDDLE BIG CREEK; earth-type dam, 55 ft tall and 1,900 ft long.

Surface area
475 ac
Normal storage
3,570 ac-ft
Max storage
7,220 ac-ft
Drainage area
7.45 sq mi
Hazard class
High
Owner
RAINTREE LAKE DEV CORP

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO20388 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Raintree Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Algal growth

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MO_7213.00 · Official waterbody report

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Raintree Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.

  • Redford Construction Wwtf
    Pleasant Hill · 2.1 mi away · NPDES MO0135488

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.

County Ranking

Ranked #4 of 4 lakes in Cass County

Nearby Lakes in Cass County

Frequently asked questions about Raintree Lake

Where is Raintree Lake?

Raintree Lake is a lake in Cass County, Missouri. LakeQuality grades it F for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.

What is the water quality grade for Raintree Lake?

Raintree Lake in Cass County, Missouri has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 66.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 34.5 µg/L. Surface area: 475 acres.

Is Raintree Lake safe to swim in?

The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Raintree 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 Raintree Lake?

Raintree Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in September, from 56 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

How deep is Raintree Lake?

No published bathymetric survey covers Raintree Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 37 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 475 acres.

Hypereutrophic Lakes in Missouri

Where this data comes from

61 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Univ. of Missouri, ColumbiaUMC61 samples · 2020–2023

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
Monitoring station identifiers (1)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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)