Sterling Price Lake
Chariton County, Missouri35 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Sterling Price Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Public access
Sterling Price Lake in Chariton County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 128.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 78.8 µg/L. Surface area: 35 acres.
Sterling Price Lake is a 35-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Chariton County, Missouri. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Chariton County, Sterling Price Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2022-08-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Sterling Price Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sterling Price 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 Sterling Price Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Sterling Price 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 1.5 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 128.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 78.8 µg/L. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 129µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 78.8µg/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. | 73 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Sterling Price Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sterling Price Lake typically sits around 87°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 85°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 87°F) and coldest in Jun (about 83°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (83°F) to its warmest (87°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2021–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sterling Price Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
35 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Missouri DNR
No bathymetric survey has been published for Sterling Price Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sterling Price Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sterling Price Lake in Chariton 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 Sterling Price Lake are listed below.
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Fishing Sterling Price Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-39.8 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+4.3 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sterling Price Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sterling Price Lake Dam (completed 1958), built primarily for recreation on the TR-PUZZLE CREEK; earth-type dam, 21 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 35 ac
- Normal storage
- 187 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 393 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 410 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MO DEPT OF CONSERVATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10103 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Sterling Price 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_7149.00 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
6 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Sterling Price Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Salisbury S 2.4 Ac LagoonSalisbury · 2.8 mi away · NPDES MO0025321Recent violation
- Salisbury WwtfSalisbury · 2.9 mi away · NPDES MO0025313Recent violation
- Bha Altair, LlcSalisbury · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MONX00709
- Salisbury Wastewater Treatment PlantSalisbury · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MO0056634
- Parker-Hannifin CorporationSalisbury · 2.6 mi away · NPDES MONX00788
- Salisbury Circleview SubdSalisbury · 3.4 mi away · NPDES MO0087874
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 Chariton County
Frequently asked questions about Sterling Price Lake
Where is Sterling Price Lake?
- Sterling Price Lake is a lake in Chariton County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sterling Price Lake?
- Sterling Price Lake in Chariton County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 128.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 78.8 µg/L. Surface area: 35 acres.
Is Sterling Price Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sterling Price 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 Sterling Price Lake?
- Sterling Price Lake typically sits around 87°F at the surface in August, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Can I fish at Sterling Price Lake?
- Public access to Sterling Price Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Sterling Price Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Missouri
Other Lakes in Missouri
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
40 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC40 samples · 2021–2022
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)