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Lake Keomah Beach

Mahaska County, IowaView mapDirections

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

Trend
Improving
4 years of samples
  • Impaired · Algal growth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Ask about Lake Keomah Beach

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

Lake Keomah Beach in Mahaska County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported.

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Lake Keomah Beach is a lake in Mahaska County, Iowa. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-05-29. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Lake Keomah Beach is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp

Swimming conditions

No reading

Bacteria advisory

Bacteria testing record
from E. coli testing · 100 samples, 7 seasons

Based on E. coli testing, Lake Keomah Beach routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 25% of 100 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 Lake Keomah Beach 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 Lake Keomah Beach

These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Lake Keomah Beach, 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

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Lake Keomah State ParkPublic

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

Fishing Lake Keomah Beach

Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Stable-0.006 m/yr4
Phosphorus Improving-28 µg/L/yr3
Chlorophyll-a Improving-3.56 µg/L/yr4
See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

Lake Keomah Beach is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Algal growthMercuryPathogens (E. coli, fecal)Turbidity

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 03-SSK-930 · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.24 km)

Nearby Lakes in Mahaska County

Frequently asked questions about Lake Keomah Beach

Where is Lake Keomah Beach?

Lake Keomah Beach is a lake in Mahaska 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 Keomah Beach?

Lake Keomah Beach in Mahaska County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported.

Is Lake Keomah Beach safe to swim in?

Based on E. coli testing, Lake Keomah Beach routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 25% of 100 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 Lake Keomah Beach 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 Lake Keomah Beach?

Lake Keomah Beach has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Keomah State Park. Public access is listed as yes.

Where this data comes from

28 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_WQX28 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