Ellis Lake
Lucas County, Iowa80 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Ellis Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ellis Lake in Lucas County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 63.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 35.6 µg/L. Surface area: 80 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Ellis Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 20 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Ellis Lake is a 80-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Lucas County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Lucas County, Ellis Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2022-09-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ellis Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Ellis 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 Ellis Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Ellis 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 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 63.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 35.6 µg/L. TSI 66.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 63.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 35.6µg/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. | 66 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Ellis Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ellis Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 84°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 84°F) and coldest in May (about 71°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (71°F) to its warmest (84°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 9 field readings (2018–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ellis Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 ft est.
Surface area
80 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 Ellis Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
935 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
- Lake EllisPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ellis Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ellis Lake in Lucas 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 Ellis Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Ellis 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 whole trip? See where to stay at Iowa’s top lakes →
Follow Ellis Lake’s readings
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Fishing Ellis Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.36 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-4.14 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Ellis Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Ellis Dam (completed 1993), built primarily for water supply on the TR-LITTLE WHITEBREAST CREEK; earth-type dam, 38 ft tall and 900 ft long.
- Surface area
- 80 ac
- Normal storage
- 803 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,463 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.9 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Chariton Municipal Utilities
All listed purposes: Water Supply;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01358 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Ellis Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Chariton Municipal Water WorksChariton · 0.2 mi away · NPDES IA0081825
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 Lucas County
Frequently asked questions about Ellis Lake
Where is Ellis Lake?
- Ellis Lake is a lake in Lucas County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ellis Lake?
- Ellis Lake in Lucas County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 63.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 35.6 µg/L. Surface area: 80 acres.
Is Ellis 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 Ellis Lake?
- Ellis Lake typically sits around 77°F at the surface in September, from 9 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Ellis Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Ellis Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 80 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Ellis Lake?
- Ellis Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Ellis. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ellis Lake?
- Ellis Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Ellis Lake across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Iowa
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Iowa
Where this data comes from
36 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Iowa DNR Surface Water Monitoring Data
21IOWA_WQX36 samples · 2020–2022
Analytical methods
- Unknown
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
- 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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory