Wapello County Lake Quality

Only 1 lakes in Wapello County carry an active grade. The county-level summary is therefore representative of those specific lakes, not necessarily of every water body in the county. The county average is F — the most-stressed bracket in our rubric. Most monitored lakes here show persistent nutrient loading and algal pressure.

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. Ottumwa Lagoon Max Depth Lake (F) is the cleanest in the county.