Scott County Lake Quality
Iowa, 5 lakes, measured by Iowa DNR
Scott County holds 5 monitored lakes. 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 lakes carries recent nutrient and algae readings, so the county-level summary covers the full set rather than a monitored subset. For Scott County the spread behind the average matters more than the average itself: a few nutrient-rich lakes among many clear ones produce the same figure as the inverse.
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. Railroad Lake has the lowest nutrient and algae readings in the county.
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Quick Answers for Scott County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Railroad Lake — or check the official Iowa fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Scott County
5 lakes5 lakes ranked on readings
| # | Lake | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Railroad LakeScott | 5.1 ft | 44.5 µg/L | 8.3 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | Lost Grove LakeScott | 3.9 ft | 31 µg/L | 15.8 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | Blue Grass LakeScott | 4.5 ft | 63 µg/L | 12.7 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 4 | Lake of the HillsScott | 5.1 ft | 53 µg/L | 16.8 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 5 | Lambach LakeScott | 7.9 ft | 63 µg/L | 5.1 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
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Source: the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. See data sources.