Binder Lake
Adams County, Iowa79 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Binder Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 29 ft max depth
Binder Lake in Adams County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 77 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24.5 µg/L. Surface area: 79.4 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Binder Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 16 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Binder Lake is a 79-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Adams County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 29 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Adams County, Binder Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2022-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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 Binder 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 Binder Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Binder Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 77 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 24.5 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 77µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 24.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Binder Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Binder Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in Sep (about 69°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (69°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 9 field readings (2018–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Binder Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~29 ft est.
Surface area
79 acres
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Iowa has not published bathymetry for Binder Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
159 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,135 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 Binder Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Binder Lake in Adams County, Iowa — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Binder Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Binder Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Iowa’s top lakes →
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Fishing Binder Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-14.1 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-31.6 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Binder Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Binder Lake Dam (completed 1942), built primarily for water supply on the TR-EAST NODAWAY; earth-type dam, 35 ft tall and 711 ft long.
- Surface area
- 79.4 ac
- Normal storage
- 990 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.34 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Corning Municipal Utilities
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01332 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Binder Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Corning City Of StpCorning · 2.2 mi away · NPDES IA0027375Recent violation
- Corning Municipal Utilities Water Treatment PlantCorning · 1.1 mi away · NPDES IA0076759
- Adams County Care Facility StpCorning · 1.7 mi away · NPDES IA0065722
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 Adams County
Frequently asked questions about Binder Lake
Where is Binder Lake?
- Binder Lake is a lake in Adams County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Binder Lake?
- Binder Lake in Adams County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 77 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 24.5 µg/L. Surface area: 79.4 acres.
Is Binder 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 Binder Lake?
- Binder Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September, from 9 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Binder Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Binder Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 29 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 79.4 acres.
Explore Binder Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
36 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Iowa DNR Surface Water Monitoring Data
21IOWA_WQX36 samples · 2020–2022
Analytical methods
- Unknown
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 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)