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LakeQuality

Black Hawk Beach Lake

Sac County, IowaView mapDirections

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Iowa DNR for this lake.

Trend
Improving
5 years of samples
  • Impaired · Algal growth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Ask about Black Hawk Beach Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Black Hawk Beach Lake in Sac County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported.

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Black Hawk Beach Lake is a lake in Sac County, Iowa. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-08-27. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Black Hawk Beach Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch2 documented ramps

Swimming conditions

No reading

Bacteria advisory

Bacteria testing record
from E. coli testing · 91 samples, 7 seasons

Based on E. coli testing, Black Hawk Beach Lake frequently exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 13.2% of 91 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 Black Hawk 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.

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Water quality measurements for Black Hawk Beach Lake

These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Black Hawk 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.

MetricValueEPA condition class
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)No recent samples
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples

Recreation & Access

2
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Drillings PointPublic
  • Black Hawk State ParkPublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Black Hawk Beach Lake

Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Declining-0.008 m/yr5
Phosphorus Improving-4.9 µg/L/yr4
Chlorophyll-a Improving-8.26 µg/L/yr5
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

Black Hawk 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

Algal growthPathogens (E. coli, fecal)Turbidity

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 04-RAC-1134 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.04 km)

Nearby Lakes in Sac County

Frequently asked questions about Black Hawk Beach Lake

Where is Black Hawk Beach Lake?

Black Hawk Beach Lake is a lake in Sac County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Black Hawk Beach Lake?

Black Hawk Beach Lake in Sac County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported.

Is Black Hawk Beach Lake safe to swim in?

Based on E. coli testing, Black Hawk Beach Lake frequently exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 13.2% of 91 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 Black Hawk 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.

Are there boat ramps on Black Hawk Beach Lake?

Black Hawk Beach Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Drillings Point, Black Hawk State Park. Public access is listed as yes.

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 Data21IOWA_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

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory