Raintree Lake
Cass County, Missouri475 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Raintree Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 37 ft max depth
Raintree Lake in Cass County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 66.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 34.5 µg/L. Surface area: 475 acres.
Raintree Lake is a 475-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Cass County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 37 feet. 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. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Raintree Lake covers about 480 acres in Cass County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Raintree Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
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. Raintree Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Raintree 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 Raintree Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Raintree 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 2.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 66.4 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 34.5 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 66.4µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 34.5µg/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. | 65 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Raintree Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (71°F) to its warmest (86°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 56 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Raintree Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~37 ft est.
Surface area
475 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
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
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.
Stays via Stay22
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 readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Raintree Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Raintree 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 Raintree Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-3.76 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-9.89 µg/L/yr4 years
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
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
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 WwtfPleasant 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.
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Raintree Lake
Where is Raintree Lake?
- Raintree 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 Raintree Lake?
- Raintree Lake in Cass County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. 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?
- Nutrient and algae readings are 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.
Explore Raintree Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Missouri's top lakes, each with its readings
Missouri's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Missouri
Other Lakes in Missouri
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, Columbia
UMC61 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)
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)