Scott County Lake Quality
Iowa, 5 lakes, average grade C (Fair)
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 an A–F grade, so the county-level summary covers the full set rather than a monitored subset. Scott County averages to a C. The distribution behind that average matters more than the letter: a few stressed lakes versus many decent ones can produce the same average 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 (C) is the cleanest 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 graded lakes
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CRailroad LakeScott | C | 5.1 ft | 44.5 µg/L | 8.3 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | CLost Grove LakeScott | C | 3.9 ft | 31 µg/L | 15.8 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | CBlue Grass LakeScott | C | 4.5 ft | 63 µg/L | 12.7 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 4 | CLake of the HillsScott | C | 5.1 ft | 53 µg/L | 16.8 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 5 | CLambach LakeScott | C | 7.9 ft | 63 µg/L | 5.1 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
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Other Counties in Iowa
See how Scott 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.