Blue Heron Lake
Polk County, IowaView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Blue Heron Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Turbidity
Blue Heron Lake in Polk County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 78.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 57.9 µg/L.
Blue Heron Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Polk County, Iowa. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 11 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Blue Heron Lake ranks #11 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Blue Heron Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Blue Heron Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Blue Heron Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Blue Heron 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 Blue Heron Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Blue Heron 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 2.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 78.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 57.9 µg/L. TSI 68.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 78.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 57.9µg/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. | 68 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Blue Heron Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Blue Heron Lake typically sits around 75°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 86°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 86°F) and coldest in May (about 72°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (72°F) to its warmest (86°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 12 field readings (2018–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Blue Heron Lake water temperature breakdown →
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Blue Heron Lake
- Walnut Woods State Park Campgrounds1.3 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Blue Heron Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Blue Heron Lake in Polk 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 Blue Heron Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Blue Heron Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Blue Heron Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+10.1 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+15.4 µg/L/yr5 years
EPA Impairment Status
Blue Heron Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 04-RAC-3105 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
5 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Blue Heron Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Southwest Polk Water ServiceWest Des Moines · 0.4 mi away · NPDES IA0052799Recent violation
- Army Post Road Aquifer Storage & Recovery FacilityDes Moines · 2.1 mi away · NPDES IA0052975Recent violation
- Natural Gas Pipeline Co. Of AmericaDes Moines · 2.2 mi away · NPDES IA0059960
- West Des Moines, City Of MS4West Des Moines · 2.5 mi away · NPDES IA0078778
- Windsor Heights, City Of MS4Windsor Heights · 3.9 mi away · NPDES IA0078921
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 Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Blue Heron Lake
Where is Blue Heron Lake?
- Blue Heron 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 Blue Heron Lake?
- Blue Heron Lake in Polk County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 78.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 57.9 µg/L.
Is Blue Heron Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Blue Heron Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Blue Heron Lake?
- Blue Heron Lake typically sits around 75°F at the surface in September, from 12 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Are there campgrounds on Blue Heron Lake?
- Blue Heron Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Walnut Woods State Park Campgrounds. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Blue Heron Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
63 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_WQX63 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles