Easter Lake
Polk County, Iowa218 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Easter Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 39 ft max depth
- Public access
Easter Lake in Polk County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 49.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 22.8 µg/L. Surface area: 218 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Easter Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 20 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Easter Lake is a 218-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Polk County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 39 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 11 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Easter Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Easter Lake covers about 220 acres in Polk County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Easter Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Easter 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 Easter Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Easter 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 2.9 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 49.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 22.8 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 49.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 22.8µg/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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Easter Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Easter Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in May (about 69°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (69°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 21 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Easter Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~39 ft est.
Surface area
218 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Iowa DNR
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Iowa has not published bathymetry for Easter Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
781 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Easter Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Easter 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 Easter Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Easter Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Easter Lake → · more Iowa lake trips
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Fishing Easter Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+22.15 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-3.77 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Easter Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Easter Lake Dam (completed 1967), built primarily for recreation on the YEADER CREEK; earth-type dam, 43 ft tall and 1,860 ft long.
- Surface area
- 218 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,200 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 10.16 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Polk County Conservation Board
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA00915 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
7 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Easter Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 2 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Greater Des Moines Energy CenterPleasant Hill · 1.8 mi away · NPDES IA0077941MajorRecent violation
- Des Moines Metropolitan WrfDes Moines · 1.9 mi away · NPDES IA0044130Major
- Magellan Pipeline Company, L.P.Des Moines · 1.8 mi away · NPDES IA0064076Recent violation
- Magellan Pipeline Company, L.P. - Blanket PermitDes Moines · 1.9 mi away · NPDES IA0076775
- Oneok North System, Llc - Blanket PermitDes Moines · 2.2 mi away · NPDES IA0070971
- Titan Tire CorporationDes Moines · 2.8 mi away · NPDES IA0001309
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 Easter Lake
Where is Easter Lake?
- Easter 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 Easter Lake?
- Easter Lake in Polk County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 49.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 22.8 µg/L. Surface area: 218 acres.
Is Easter Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Easter Lake?
- Easter Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September, from 21 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Easter Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Easter Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 39 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 218 acres.
Can I fish at Easter Lake?
- Public access to Easter Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Iowa's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Easter Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Iowa's top lakes, each with its readings
Iowa's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Eutrophic Lakes in Iowa
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)