Ripley County Lake
Ripley County, Missouri20 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Ripley County Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
Ripley County Lake in Ripley County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 20 acres.
Ripley County Lake is a 20-acre mesotrophic lake in Ripley County, Missouri. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Ripley County, Ripley County Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2023-08-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ripley County 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 Ripley County Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Ripley County Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft. Phosphorus 10.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2.3 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2.3µg/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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Ripley County Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ripley County Lake typically sits around 84°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 88°F) and coldest in Jun (about 82°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (82°F) to its warmest (88°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 25 field readings (2015–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ripley County Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
20 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Ripley County Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Ripley County Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.75 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.4 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Ripley County Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Ripley County Lake Dam (completed 1958), built primarily for recreation on the BRIAR CREEK; earth-type dam, 27 ft tall and 880 ft long.
- Surface area
- 20 ac
- Normal storage
- 160 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 206 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 192 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- USDA FS
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO30053 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Ripley County
Frequently asked questions about Ripley County Lake
Where is Ripley County Lake?
- Ripley County Lake is a lake in Ripley County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ripley County Lake?
- Ripley County Lake in Ripley County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2.3 µg/L. Surface area: 20 acres.
Is Ripley County Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Ripley County Lake?
- Ripley County Lake typically sits around 84°F at the surface in August, from 25 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2015–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Ripley County Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Missouri
Other Lakes in Missouri
Mesotrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
58 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC58 samples · 2021–2023
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.