Lake Icaria
Adams County, Iowa700 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Icaria. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Turbidity
- 41 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake Icaria in Adams County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 30.8 µg/L. Surface area: 700 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Lake Icaria, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 28 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Lake Icaria is a 700-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Adams County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 41 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Adams County, Lake Icaria ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake Icaria covers about 700 acres in Adams County. It has 4 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lake Icaria on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lake Icaria is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyRecreation use not supported
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. Lake Icaria is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake Icaria 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 Lake Icaria
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Lake Icaria, 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 2.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 30.8 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 54µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 30.8µg/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. | 63 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Lake Icaria
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Icaria typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 79°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 82°F) and coldest in Sep (about 70°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (70°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Icaria water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~41 ft est.
Surface area
700 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 Lake Icaria.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
27 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
9.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,152 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 Icaria -SouthcentralPublic
- Lake Icaria - CentralPublic
- Lake Icaria - NorthwestPublic
- Bobber Down MarinaSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Icaria
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Icaria in Adams 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 Lake Icaria are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Icaria
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 Lake Icaria → · more Iowa lake trips
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Fishing Lake Icaria
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.55 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-8.25 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Icaria is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Icaria Dam (Site M-1-A Walters Cr) (completed 1974), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the KEMP CREEK; earth-type dam, 56 ft tall and 1,310 ft long.
- Surface area
- 700 ac
- Normal storage
- 8,650 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 25,310 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 28 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Adams County SWCD
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA00077 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.13 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Lake Icaria is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 05-NOD-1398 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Adams County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Icaria
Where is Lake Icaria?
- Lake Icaria is a lake in Adams County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Icaria?
- Lake Icaria in Adams County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 30.8 µg/L. Surface area: 700 acres.
Is Lake Icaria safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Icaria is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lake Icaria?
- Lake Icaria typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, 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 Lake Icaria?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Icaria, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 41 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 700 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Lake Icaria?
- Lake Icaria has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Icaria -Southcentral, Lake Icaria - Central, Lake Icaria - Northwest, Bobber Down Marina. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Lake Icaria?
- Lake Icaria has 4 documented boat landings 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 Lake Icaria 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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Other Lakes in Iowa
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Iowa
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory