Overview
Wappapello Lake is an approximately 8,400-acre reservoir on the St. Francis River in Wayne and Butler counties in southeast Missouri's Ozark foothills. It was created in the 1940s when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed Wappapello Dam. The project is operated primarily for flood risk management on the St. Francis River, with recreation and fish and wildlife habitat as major secondary uses.
At recreation pool the lake has about 180 miles of irregular, wooded shoreline, averages only about 6.5 feet deep, and reaches near 47 feet in deeper channel areas. Countless small coves, flooded timber, and shallow flats define the basin, and the pool can expand to more than 23,000 acres at the top of the flood-control pool after major storms.
Wappapello is popular for crappie, bass, catfish, and bream fishing, plus camping, boating, and hiking on segments of the Ozark Trail, with fisheries managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Corps parks, Lake Wappapello State Park, marinas, and more than two dozen boat ramps provide broad public access.
Water levels on Wappapello Lake are managed by the Corps of Engineers under a seasonal schedule, with a recreation pool near 359.74 feet above mean sea level (NGVD29), a lower winter-season conservation pool near 354.74 feet, and a flood-control pool extending to 394.74 feet. Elevations can change quickly with St. Francis River runoff, so monitoring current lake levels is important for navigating shallow flats and for fishing and shoreline access.
Wappapello Lake Right Now
Wappapello Lake is currently 0.2 feet above full pool and has fallen 0.07 feet over the past week. Watershed conditions are abnormally dry. Today's forecast calls for mostly sunny with a high around 79°F.
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Wappapello Lake is a 8,400-acre reservoir on the St. Francis River managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (St. Louis District).