Updated Aug 2026
Mississippi Lake Water Quality
Water quality grades for 81 monitored lakes across 51 counties.
Across Mississippi, 81 lakes carry an active water-quality grade spread over 51 counties. The underlying measurements come from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, alongside federal programs and volunteer monitoring networks. A-grade lakes are scarce in Mississippi: about 2% of the dataset. Most lakes here sit in C or D — productive, often shallow, frequently algal in late summer.
The state's lakes lean eutrophic: enough nutrient input to support an active algal community, with the trade-offs in clarity and dissolved oxygen that come with it. The cleanest county on average is Prentiss (grade A); the most-stressed is Chickasaw. The gap between the top and bottom counties is large enough that "Mississippi lake water quality" hides real local variation.
Grade Distribution
All 81 Mississippi lakes in the index: 78 (96.3%) carry an A–F grade and 3 (3.7%) are not rated — their monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar.
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Top-Graded Mississippi Lakes
The highest water-quality grades in Mississippi — clarity, depth, and A-F grade at a glance.
Lake Map
Mississippi reports, fishing & travel
Mississippi Fishing & Recreation
Licenses, regulations, records, and where to fish across Mississippi.
Counties
All 51 Mississippi counties, ranked by average lake water quality. Compare them against every county nationwide in the county rankings, browse the full directory of graded lakes, or pick a different state.
Top 25 Cleanest Lakes
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | APool D | Itawamba | A | 3 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 2 | APool E | Prentiss | A | 2.3 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 3 | BCalling Panther Lake | Copiah | B | 6.6 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 4 | BChewalla Lake | Marshall | B | 2.5 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 5 | BElvis Presley Lake | Lee | B | 4.6 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 6 | BGeiger Lake | Forrest | B | 3.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 7 | BKemper County Lake | Kemper | B | 5.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 8 | BLake Bill Waller | Marion | B | 5.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 9 | BLake Toc-O-Leen | Stone | B | 4.8 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 10 | BLake Walthall | Walthall | B | 6.2 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 11 | BLower Lake | Panola | B | 2.1 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 12 | BPool A | Monroe | B | 2 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 13 | BPool B | Itawamba | B | 2.3 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 14 | BPool B | Monroe | B | 2 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 15 | BPool C | Itawamba | B | 2.6 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 16 | BRobertson Lake | Jackson | B | 3.1 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 17 | BSportsman Lake | Perry | B | 6.7 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 18 | BTchula Lake | Holmes | B | 1 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 19 | CAberdeen Lake | Monroe | C | 1.6 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 20 | CAlip Lake | Lowndes | C | 2.4 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 21 | CBonita Reservoir | Lauderdale | C | 5.9 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 22 | CFlint Creek Reservoir | Stone | C | 6.4 ft | Mesotrophic | Not recorded |
| 23 | CHennington Lake | Lamar | C | 4.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 24 | CLake Columbia | Marion | C | 4.9 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
| 25 | CLake Dockery | Hinds | C | 3.4 ft | Eutrophic | Not recorded |
25 Lakes Needing Attention
25 lakes25 graded lakes
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Clarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FWhites Creek Lake | Webster | F | 2.2 ft |
| 2 | FWasp Lake | Humphreys | F | 0.8 ft |
| 3 | FWalnut Lake | Tunica | F | 1.6 ft |
| 4 | FTunica Cutoff Lake | Tunica | F | 1.8 ft |
| 5 | FSnow Lake | Benton | F | 3.3 ft |
| 6 | FSixmile Lake | Tunica | F | 0.7 ft |
| 7 | FSixmile Lake | Leflore | F | 1.2 ft |
| 8 | FRoss Barnett Reservoir | Rankin | F | 1.8 ft |
| 9 | FRoss Barnett Reservoir | Madison | F | 1.7 ft |
| 10 | FRoebuck Lake | Leflore | F | 1 ft |
| 11 | FLong Lake | Sunflower | F | 1.5 ft |
| 12 | FLake Washington | Washington | F | 1.5 ft |
| 13 | FLake Tangipahoa | Pike | F | 2.3 ft |
| 14 | FLake Lincoln | Lincoln | F | 2 ft |
| 15 | FLake Jackson | Washington | F | 1.8 ft |
| 16 | FLake Henry | Leflore | F | 0.8 ft |
| 17 | FLake George | Yazoo | F | 0.7 ft |
| 18 | FLake Ferguson | Washington | F | 2.5 ft |
| 19 | FLake Bolivar | Bolivar | F | 0.7 ft |
| 20 | FLake Beulah | Bolivar | F | 0.8 ft |
| 21 | FHorseshoe Lake | Coahoma | F | 1.3 ft |
| 22 | FHorn Lake | DeSoto | F | 1.6 ft |
| 23 | FEagle Lake | Warren | F | 1.5 ft |
| 24 | FEagle Lake | Humphreys | F | 2.3 ft |
| 25 | FDump Lake | Yazoo | F | 0.8 ft |
Lake Match
Which lake suits how you actually use one?
Six questions — swimming, fishing, quiet, cabins, drive time — and a shortlist of graded lakes that fit, with the water quality behind each one.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys and the EPA Water Quality Portal.