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LakeQuality

Honey Creek Beach Lake

Appanoose County, IowaView mapDirections

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Iowa DNR for this lake.

  • Impaired · Turbidity
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Ask about Honey Creek Beach Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Honey Creek Beach Lake in Appanoose County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported.

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Honey Creek Beach Lake is a lake in Appanoose County, Iowa. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 10 public boat landings.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-08-27. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Honey Creek Beach Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch10 documented ramps

Swimming conditions

No reading

Bacteria tested: low

Bacteria testing record
from E. coli testing · 105 samples, 7 seasons

Based on E. coli testing, Honey Creek Beach Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 2.9% of 105 samples across 7 seasons.

This is a historical summary of past testing, not a current condition — bacteria levels change quickly, especially after rain. Always check Iowa’s current beach and health-department advisories before swimming.

Whether Honey Creek Beach 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.

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Water quality measurements for Honey Creek Beach Lake

These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Honey Creek Beach Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data.

MetricValueEPA condition class
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)No recent samples
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples

Recreation & Access

10
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Rathbun Wildlife Management AreaPublic
  • Rathbun Wildlife Management AreaPublic
  • Rathbun Wildlife Management AreaPublic
  • Rathbun Wildlife Management AreaPublic
  • Rathbun Wildlife Management AreaPublic
  • Rathbun Wildlife Management AreaPublic

Showing 6 of 10 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Fishing Honey Creek Beach Lake

EPA Impairment Status

Honey Creek Beach Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Turbidity

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 05-CHA-2030 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.05 km)

Nearby Lakes in Appanoose County

Frequently asked questions about Honey Creek Beach Lake

Where is Honey Creek Beach Lake?

Honey Creek Beach Lake is a lake in Appanoose County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Honey Creek Beach Lake?

Honey Creek Beach Lake in Appanoose County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported.

Is Honey Creek Beach Lake safe to swim in?

Based on E. coli testing, Honey Creek Beach Lake rarely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 2.9% of 105 samples across 7 seasons. That is a historical summary of past bacteria testing, not a current reading and not a swimming clearance. Bacteria levels can spike quickly after heavy rain, so whether Honey Creek Beach Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Iowa's water agency and the county health department; check their current beach advisories before you swim.

Are there boat ramps on Honey Creek Beach Lake?

Honey Creek Beach Lake has 10 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Rathbun Wildlife Management Area, Rathbun Wildlife Management Area, Rathbun Wildlife Management Area, Rathbun Wildlife Management Area, among others. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

44 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Iowa DNR Surface Water Monitoring Data21IOWA_WQX44 samples · 2021–2024

Analytical methods

  • 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
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

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory