Casey Lake
Tama County, Iowa39 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Casey Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 36 ft max depth
Casey Lake in Tama County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 113 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 95.5 µg/L. Surface area: 39.2 acres.
Casey Lake is a 39-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Tama County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 36 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Tama County, Casey Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2023-09-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Casey 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. Casey Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Casey 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 Casey Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Casey 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 1.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 113 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 95.5 µg/L. TSI 74.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 113µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 95.5µg/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. | 74 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Casey Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Casey Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in May (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 34 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Casey Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~36 ft est.
Surface area
39 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 Casey Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
896 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.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Casey Lake
- Hickory Hills Park Campground0.2 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 Casey Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Casey Lake in Tama 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 Casey Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Casey Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Iowa’s top lakes →
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Fishing Casey Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2023).
Water clarity
Stable4 years
Phosphorus
Improving-27.5 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-18.05 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Casey Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Hickory Hills Recreation Dam (completed 1970), built primarily for recreation on the TR-WOLF CREEK; earth-type dam, 29 ft tall and 1,030 ft long.
- Surface area
- 39.2 ac
- Normal storage
- 363 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 760 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.27 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Black Hawk County Conservation Board
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01030 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.07 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Casey 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 02-CED-531 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Casey Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Hickory Hills ParkLa Porte City · 0.2 mi away · NPDES IA0066940
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 Tama County
Frequently asked questions about Casey Lake
Where is Casey Lake?
- Casey Lake is a lake in Tama County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Casey Lake?
- Casey Lake in Tama County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 113 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 95.5 µg/L. Surface area: 39.2 acres.
Is Casey Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Casey Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Casey Lake?
- Casey Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September, from 34 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Casey Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Casey Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 36 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 39.2 acres.
Are there campgrounds on Casey Lake?
- Casey Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Hickory Hills Park Campground. 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 Casey Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Iowa
Other Lakes in Iowa
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Iowa
Where this data comes from
45 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Iowa DNR Surface Water Monitoring Data
21IOWA_WQX45 samples · 2020–2023
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)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles