Lake Meyer
Winneshiek County, Iowa38 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake Meyer. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 23 ft max depth
Lake Meyer in Winneshiek County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 49 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 28.5 µg/L. Surface area: 37.6 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Lake Meyer, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 22 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Lake Meyer is a 38-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Winneshiek County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 23 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-10-21. 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 Lake Meyer 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 Meyer
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Lake Meyer, 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 3.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 49 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 28.5 µg/L. TSI 61.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 49µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 28.5µg/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. | 61 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Lake Meyer
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake Meyer typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°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 (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 25 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake Meyer water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~23 ft est.
Surface area
38 acres
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 Meyer.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,155 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake Meyer
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Meyer in Winneshiek 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 Meyer are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Lake Meyer
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Iowa’s top lakes →
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Fishing Lake Meyer
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2021–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening4 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+4.9 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.88 µg/L/yr4 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake Meyer is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Meyer Dam (completed 1966), built primarily for recreation on the TR-TURKEY RIVER; earth-type dam, 46 ft tall and 530 ft long.
- Surface area
- 37.6 ac
- Normal storage
- 564 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 754 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2.11 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Winneshiek County Conservation Board
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01077 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
4 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lake Meyer under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Fort Atkinson City Of StpFort Atkinson · 2.1 mi away · NPDES IA0072176Recent violation
- Spillville City Of StpSpillville · 2.4 mi away · NPDES IA0042749Recent violation
- Calmar City Of StpCalmar · 2.7 mi away · NPDES IA0023515Recent violation
- Festina-Winneshiek County-StpFestina · 4.6 mi away · NPDES IA0075442
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 Winneshiek County
Frequently asked questions about Lake Meyer
Where is Lake Meyer?
- Lake Meyer is a lake in Winneshiek 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 Meyer?
- Lake Meyer in Winneshiek County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 49 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 28.5 µg/L. Surface area: 37.6 acres.
Is Lake Meyer 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 Lake Meyer?
- Lake Meyer typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 25 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Lake Meyer?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake Meyer, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 23 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 37.6 acres.
Explore Lake Meyer across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
68 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 Data
21IOWA_WQX68 samples · 2021–2024
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)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)