Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake
Story County, IowaView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 25 ft max depth
- Public access
Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake in Story County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L.
Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Story County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 25 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Story County, Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-10-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.8 ft. Phosphorus 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 5.2 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 19µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 5.2µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jun (about 78°F) and coldest in Sep (about 70°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (70°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 9 field readings (2018–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~25 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Iowa DNR
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Iowa has not published bathymetry for Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
318 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
96 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
892 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake
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Fishing Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+7.84 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+2.43 µg/L/yr4 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
11 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 6 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- South Squaw Valley AssociationAmes · 2.1 mi away · NPDES IA0068276Recent violation
- Hickory Grove Court, LlcAmes · 2.6 mi away · NPDES IA0067814Recent violation
- Iowa State University Power PlantAmes · 2.7 mi away · NPDES IA0032697Recent violation
- Gilbert, City Of StpGilbert · 2.8 mi away · NPDES IA0025968Recent violation
- City Of Ames Steam Electric PlantAmes · 3.2 mi away · NPDES IA0033235Recent violation
- Home City IceAmes · 3.5 mi away · NPDES IA0072061Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Story County
Frequently asked questions about Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake
Where is Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake?
- Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake is a lake in Story County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake?
- Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake in Story County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 19 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 5.2 µg/L.
Is Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake?
- Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 9 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 25 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake?
- Public access to Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Iowa's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Ada Hayden Heritage Park Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
69 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Iowa DNR Surface Water Monitoring Data
21IOWA_WQX69 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Unknown
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- In-Vitro Determination of Chlorophyll
- ISU modification of APHA 2130-B
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)