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LakeQuality
Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water

Linn County Lake Quality

Iowa, 4 lakes, measured by Iowa DNR

Linn County has 4 monitored lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. 2 of those lakes carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Phosphorus and algae readings vary widely across Linn County; the per-lake pages below carry the numbers.

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. Pleasant Creek Lake has the lowest nutrient and algae readings in the county.

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Top-rated places to stay near Linn County

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All Lakes in Linn County

4 lakes · 2 ranked on readings, 2 without enough sampling2 lakes ranked on readings · 2 without enough sampling, hidden

#LakeClarityPhosphorusAlgaeTrophicAccess
1Pleasant Creek LakeLinn3.6 ft38 µg/L26.5 µg/LNo recent samples✓ Public
2Cedar LakeLinn0.9 ft256.5 µg/L125.4 µg/LNo recent samples✓ Public
Big Lewis LakeLinnNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Little Lewis LakeLinnNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded

NR = no nutrient or algae reading on record. The measurements are published as the authority reports them. Where the data comes from.

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Source: the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. See data sources.