Nodaway Lake
Adair County, Iowa27 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Nodaway Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Turbidity
- 28 ft max depth
Nodaway Lake in Adair County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 57 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27.6 µg/L. Surface area: 27 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Nodaway Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 22 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Nodaway Lake is a 27-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Adair County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 28 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Adair County, Nodaway Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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. Nodaway Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Nodaway 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.
Water quality measurements for Nodaway Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Nodaway Lake, 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 57 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 27.6 µg/L. TSI 63.
| 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 | 57µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 27.6µg/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. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Nodaway Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Nodaway Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 80°F) and coldest in Sep (about 71°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (71°F) to its warmest (80°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 26 field readings (2011–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Nodaway Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~28 ft est.
Surface area
27 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 Nodaway Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
0.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,253 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 Nodaway Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Nodaway Lake in Adair 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 Nodaway Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Nodaway Lake
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 whole trip? See where to stay at Iowa’s top lakes →
Follow Nodaway Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Nodaway Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+16 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+2.9 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Nodaway Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Nodaway Lake Dam (completed 1936), built primarily for water supply on the TR-MIDDLE NODAWAY RIVER; earth-type dam, 35 ft tall and 650 ft long.
- Surface area
- 27 ac
- Normal storage
- 290 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 550 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.8 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Greenfield Municipal Utilities
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01331 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Nodaway Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Recreation.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 05-NOD-1401 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Nodaway Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Fontanelle City Of StpFontanelle · 3.8 mi away · NPDES IA0041840Recent 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 Adair County
Frequently asked questions about Nodaway Lake
Where is Nodaway Lake?
- Nodaway Lake is a lake in Adair County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Nodaway Lake?
- Nodaway Lake in Adair County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 57 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27.6 µg/L. Surface area: 27 acres.
Is Nodaway Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Nodaway Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Nodaway Lake?
- Nodaway Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September, from 26 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Nodaway Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Nodaway Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 28 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 27 acres.
Explore Nodaway Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Iowa
Other Lakes in Iowa
Eutrophic Lakes in Iowa
Where this data comes from
63 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_WQX63 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)