Brushy Creek Lake
Webster County, Iowa690 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Brushy Creek Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Pathogens (E. coli, fecal)
Brushy Creek Lake in Webster County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 44.5 µg/L. Surface area: 690 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Brushy Creek Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 72 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Brushy Creek Lake is a 690-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Webster County, Iowa. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Webster County, Brushy Creek Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-10-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Brushy Creek Lake covers about 690 acres in Webster County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Brushy Creek Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria advisory
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.
Based on E. coli testing, Brushy Creek Lake occasionally exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 6.7% of 30 samples across 3 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 Brushy Creek 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 Brushy Creek Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Brushy Creek 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 2.8 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 54.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 44.5 µg/L. TSI 64.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 54.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 44.5µg/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. | 64 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Brushy Creek Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Brushy Creek Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 80°F) and coldest in May (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (62°F) to its warmest (80°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 107 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Brushy Creek Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
690 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Brushy Creek Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Brushy Creek Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Brushy Creek Lake in Webster 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 Brushy Creek Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Brushy Creek Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Brushy Creek Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.95 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+8.13 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Brushy Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Brushy Creek Dam (completed 1998), built primarily for recreation on the BRUSHY CREEK; earth-type dam, 100 ft tall and 1,950 ft long.
- Surface area
- 690 ac
- Normal storage
- 19,660 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 31,645 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 88.06 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA03116 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Brushy Creek Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 04-UDM-1276 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Brushy Creek Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Lehigh City Of StpLehigh · 4.2 mi away · NPDES IA0021296Recent violation
- Dnr Brushy Creek St.Park-N.Equestrian CampgroundLehigh · 0.8 mi away · NPDES IA0074543
- Dnr Brushy Creek St. Park - S.Equestrian CampgroundLehigh · 1.8 mi away · NPDES IA0076945
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 Webster County
Frequently asked questions about Brushy Creek Lake
Where is Brushy Creek Lake?
- Brushy Creek Lake is a lake in Webster County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Brushy Creek Lake?
- Brushy Creek Lake in Webster County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 44.5 µg/L. Surface area: 690 acres.
Is Brushy Creek Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Brushy Creek Lake occasionally exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 6.7% of 30 samples across 3 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 Brushy Creek 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.
What is the water temperature of Brushy Creek Lake?
- Brushy Creek Lake typically sits around 69°F at the surface in September, from 107 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Brushy Creek Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
78 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_WQX78 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)