Whippoorwill Lake
Warren County, Missouri13 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Whippoorwill Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Limited data
Whippoorwill Lake in Warren County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3 µg/L. Surface area: 13 acres.
Whippoorwill Lake is a 13-acre mesotrophic lake in Warren County, Missouri. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 15 other monitored lakes in Warren County, Whippoorwill Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2020-09-20. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Whippoorwill 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 Whippoorwill Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Whippoorwill 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 5 ft. Phosphorus 13.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Whippoorwill Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Whippoorwill Lake typically sits around 78°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 84°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 (84°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 70 field readings (2010–2020) via the EPA Water Quality Portal.
Lake Details
Surface area
13 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Whippoorwill Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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Fishing Whippoorwill Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.72 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.11 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Whippoorwill Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Sherman Lake Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for recreation on the TR CHARETTE CREEK; earth-type dam, 33 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 13 ac
- Normal storage
- 135 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 230 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 200 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- WILLIAM SHERMAN
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO30518 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.93 km)
Nearby Lakes in Warren County
Frequently asked questions about Whippoorwill Lake
Where is Whippoorwill Lake?
- Whippoorwill Lake is a lake in Warren County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Whippoorwill Lake?
- Whippoorwill Lake in Warren County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3 µg/L. Surface area: 13 acres.
Is Whippoorwill 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 Whippoorwill Lake?
- Whippoorwill Lake typically sits around 78°F at the surface in September, from 70 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2020). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Whippoorwill Lake across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Missouri
Mesotrophic Lakes in Missouri
Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC16 samples · 2020
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.