Taylor County Lake Quality
Iowa, 7 lakes, measured by Iowa DNR
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 recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. The monitored lakes here are mostly shallow, productive basins where summer algae is common; each lake page shows its own readings beside the EPA condition class.
The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the readings sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest measured lake is Sands Timber Lake.
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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 ranked on readings, 3 without enough sampling4 lakes ranked on readings · 3 without enough sampling, hidden
| # | Lake | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sands Timber LakeTaylor | 1.8 ft | 98 µg/L | 70.1 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | Wilson LakeTaylor | 1.6 ft | 96.5 µg/L | 48.3 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 3 | Lake of Three Fires Max DepthTaylor | 2 ft | 89 µg/L | 58.6 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| 4 | Windmill LakeTaylor | 2.5 ft | 94 µg/L | 33.9 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| Lake of Three Fires BeachTaylor | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public | |
| East LakeTaylor | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| Bedford Water Supply LakeTaylor | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not 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.