Fort des Moines Park Pond
Polk County, Iowa12 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Fort des Moines Park Pond. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
Fort des Moines Park Pond in Polk County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 68 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 32.6 µg/L. Surface area: 11.6 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Fort des Moines Park Pond, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 24 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Fort des Moines Park Pond is a 12-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Polk County, Iowa. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 11 other monitored lakes in Polk County, Fort des Moines Park Pond ranks #12 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-18. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Fort des Moines Park Pond 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 Fort des Moines Park Pond
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Fort des Moines Park Pond, 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 68 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 32.6 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 | 68µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 32.6µg/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. | 64 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Fort des Moines Park Pond
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Fort des Moines Park Pond typically sits around 76°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 79°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 82°F) and coldest in Jun (about 75°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (75°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 11 field readings (2018–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Fort des Moines Park Pond water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
12 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Fort des Moines Park Pond, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Fort des Moines Park Pond
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Fort des Moines Park Pond 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 Fort des Moines Park Pond are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Fort des Moines Park Pond
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Fishing Fort des Moines Park Pond
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+21.26 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-19.75 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Fort des Moines Park Pond is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Fort Des Moines Park Dam (completed 1977), built primarily for recreation on the TR-NORTH RIVER; earth-type dam, 49 ft tall and 790 ft long.
- Surface area
- 11.6 ac
- Normal storage
- 120 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 240 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.33 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- Polk County Conservation Board
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01840 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Fort des Moines Park Pond under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Des Moines - Nahas Aquatic CenterDes Moines · 1.6 mi away · NPDES IA0076511Recent violation
- Des Moines International AirportDes Moines · 2.2 mi away · NPDES IA0075931Recent violation
- Wilshire Mobile Home ParkNorwalk · 2.2 mi away · NPDES IA0067903Recent 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.
Nearby Lakes in Polk County
Frequently asked questions about Fort des Moines Park Pond
Where is Fort des Moines Park Pond?
- Fort des Moines Park Pond 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 Fort des Moines Park Pond?
- Fort des Moines Park Pond in Polk County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 68 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 32.6 µg/L. Surface area: 11.6 acres.
Is Fort des Moines Park Pond 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 Fort des Moines Park Pond?
- Fort des Moines Park Pond typically sits around 76°F at the surface in September, from 11 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2018–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Fort des Moines Park Pond across LakeQuality
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Other Lakes in Iowa
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Where this data comes from
61 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_WQX61 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)