Big Creek Beach Lake
Polk County, IowaView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Iowa DNR for this lake.
- Impaired · Algal growth
- Limited data
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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Big Creek Beach Lake in Polk County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported.
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Big Creek Beach Lake is a lake in Polk County, Iowa. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-08-28. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming conditions
No readingBacteria advisory
Based on E. coli testing, Big Creek Beach Lake frequently exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 18.3% of 104 samples across 7 seasons.
This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Iowa’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.
Whether Big Creek Beach 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 Big Creek Beach Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Big Creek Beach Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples |
Fishing Big Creek Beach Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 3 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.041 m/yr | 3 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -7.86 µg/L/yr | 3 |
EPA Impairment Status
Big Creek Beach Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 04-UDM-1242 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.3 km)
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Big Creek Beach Lake
Where is Big Creek Beach Lake?
- Big Creek Beach Lake is a lake in Polk County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Creek Beach Lake?
- Big Creek Beach Lake in Polk County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported.
Is Big Creek Beach Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Big Creek Beach Lake frequently exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 18.3% of 104 samples across 7 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Big Creek Beach Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Iowa's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.
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Where this data comes from
45 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Iowa DNR Surface Water Monitoring Data
21IOWA_WQX45 samples · 2021–2024
Analytical methods
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database