Spring Fork Lake
Pettis County, Missouri128 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Spring Fork Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 26 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Spring Fork Lake in Pettis County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 160 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 48.6 µg/L. Surface area: 128 acres.
Spring Fork Lake is a 128-acre lake in Pettis County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 26 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2021-05-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Spring Fork Lake covers about 130 acres in Pettis County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Spring Fork Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Spring Fork Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Spring Fork Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Spring Fork 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 Spring Fork Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Spring Fork 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 1.4 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 160 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 48.6 µg/L. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 160µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 48.6µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 73 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Spring Fork Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Spring Fork Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 84°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 86°F) and coldest in Apr (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (63°F) to its warmest (86°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 68 field readings (2010–2020) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Spring Fork Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~26 ft est.
Surface area
128 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 Spring Fork Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
11 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
883 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
- Spring Fork LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Spring Fork Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Spring Fork Lake in Pettis 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Spring Fork Lake
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Fishing Spring Fork Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Spring Fork Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Spring Fork Lake Dam (completed 1925), built primarily for water supply on the CHEESE CK; earth-type dam, 43 ft tall and 1,600 ft long.
- Surface area
- 128 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,613 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 3,104 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 10.79 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF SEDALIA WATER DP
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO30152 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Spring Fork Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MO_7187.00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Spring Fork Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Meadowlark Mhp WwtfSedalia · 4.4 mi away · NPDES MO0106755Recent violation
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 Pettis County
Frequently asked questions about Spring Fork Lake
Where is Spring Fork Lake?
- Spring Fork Lake is a lake in Pettis County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Spring Fork Lake?
- Spring Fork Lake in Pettis County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 160 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 48.6 µg/L. Surface area: 128 acres.
Is Spring Fork Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Spring Fork Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Spring Fork Lake?
- Spring Fork Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in October, from 68 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2020). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Spring Fork Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Spring Fork Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 26 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 128 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Spring Fork Lake?
- Spring Fork Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Spring Fork Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Spring Fork Lake?
- Spring Fork 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 Spring Fork Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC12 samples · 2020–2021
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