Taylor County Lake Quality
Iowa, 7 lakes, average grade F (Algae-prone)
Taylor County has 7 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. 4 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. The county average is F — the most-stressed bracket in our rubric. Most monitored lakes here show persistent nutrient loading and algal pressure.
The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the grades sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest lake on the books is Sands Timber Lake (F); the most-stressed is Sands Timber Lake (F).
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Quick Answers for Taylor County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Sands Timber Lake — or check the official Iowa fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Taylor County
7 lakes · 4 graded, 3 not rated4 graded lakes · 3 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FSands Timber LakeTaylor | F | 1.8 ft | 98 µg/L | 70.1 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | FWilson LakeTaylor | F | 1.6 ft | 96.5 µg/L | 48.3 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | FLake of Three Fires Max DepthTaylor | F | 2 ft | 89 µg/L | 58.6 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 4 | FWindmill LakeTaylor | F | 2.5 ft | 94 µg/L | 33.9 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| NRLake of Three Fires BeachTaylor | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public | |
| NREast LakeTaylor | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRBedford Water Supply LakeTaylor | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
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Other Counties in Iowa
See how Taylor 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.