
Cherokee County Lake Quality
Iowa, 1 lake, average grade D (Nutrient-rich)
Cherokee County holds 1 monitored lake. With a sample that small the county-level summary describes those specific waters, not necessarily every water body in the county. Every one of those lake carries an A–F grade, so the county-level summary covers the full set rather than a monitored subset. The county-wide average grade is D — water quality issues are persistent across most of the monitored basins. 0 lakes fall into the F bracket outright.
Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Spring Lake (D) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Cherokee County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Spring Lake — or check the official Iowa fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Cherokee County
1 lake1 graded lake
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DSpring LakeCherokee | D | 2.5 ft | 88.6 µg/L | 25.1 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
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Other Counties in Iowa
See how Cherokee County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.