Crawford Creek Lake
Ida County, Iowa63 acresView mapDirections
Nutrients and algae run well above the regional average.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · pH / acidity
- #2 of 2 in the county
- 42 ft max depth
Crawford Creek Lake in Ida County, Iowa has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 97 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 50.4 µg/L. Surface area: 63 acres.
- Clarity
- 1.6 ft
- Typical in August
- 77°F
- Max depth
- ~42 ft est.
- Area
- 63 acres
- Type
- Hypereutrophic
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Crawford Creek Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Crawford Creek Lake in Ida 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 grade measures nutrients and algae, not lodging — cabins and rentals around Crawford Creek Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Crawford Creek Lake
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Watch Crawford Creek Lake’s letter
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Free interactive depth-contour map of Crawford Creek Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 27 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Crawford Creek Lake is a 63-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Ida County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Water quality is graded F based on 2 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Ida County, Crawford Creek Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-03. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Crawford Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: F (Algae-prone)
Very murky, less than 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 97 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 50.4 µg/L. TSI 70. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 1.6 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 97 µg/L | Poor |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 50.4 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 70 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Water Temperature
Crawford Creek Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 80°F) and coldest in May (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Crawford Creek Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~42 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~14 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 63 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 Crawford Creek Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Crawford Creek Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 5 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.116 m/yr | 5 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +52 µg/L/yr | 4 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -5.65 µg/L/yr | 5 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Crawford Creek Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Crawford Creek Subwatershed Site M-3 (completed 1976), built primarily for recreation on the CRAWFORD; earth-type dam, 49 ft tall and 980 ft long.
- Surface area
- 63 ac
- Normal storage
- 654 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,349 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 4.01 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Ida County SWCD
All listed purposes: Recreation;Flood Risk Reduction.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01851 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.07 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Crawford Creek Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 06-LSR-1583 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Crawford Creek Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Battle Creek City Of StpBattle Creek · 2.7 mi away · NPDES IA0027855Recent violation
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.
County Ranking
Ranked #2 of 2 lakes in Ida County
Nearby Lakes With Higher Grades
Crawford Creek Lake holds Grade F. 3 nearby lakes hold higher nutrient-and-algae grades — useful for a swim day, not a reason to skip lodging here.
See full comparison →Nearby Lakes in Ida County
Frequently asked questions about Crawford Creek Lake
Where is Crawford Creek Lake?
- Crawford Creek Lake is a lake in Ida County, Iowa. LakeQuality grades it F for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Crawford Creek Lake?
- Crawford Creek Lake in Ida County, Iowa has a water quality grade of F (Algae-prone). Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 97 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 50.4 µg/L. Surface area: 63 acres.
Is Crawford Creek Lake safe to swim in?
- The F is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Crawford Creek Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pH / acidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Crawford Creek Lake?
- Crawford Creek Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in August, from 29 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Crawford Creek Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Crawford Creek Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 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 63 acres.
Explore Crawford Creek Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
62 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_WQX62 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)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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)