Pine Lake South Beach
Hardin County, Iowa85 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Pine Lake South Beach. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Pine Lake South Beach in Hardin County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Surface area: 85 acres.
Pine Lake South Beach is a 85-acre lake in Hardin County, Iowa. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-08-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingBacteria tested: exceedances
Based on E. coli testing, Pine Lake South Beach routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 28.6% 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 Pine Lake South 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.
Water quality measurements for Pine Lake South Beach
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Pine Lake South Beach, 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 1.4 ft of visibility. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 73 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Pine Lake South Beach
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pine Lake South Beach typically sits around 79°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 79°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 82°F) and coldest in May (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 86 field readings (2010–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pine Lake South Beach water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
85 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Pine Lake South Beach, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Pine Lake South Beach
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Fishing Pine Lake South Beach
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-13.8 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+11.78 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pine Lake South Beach is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lower Pine Lake Dam (completed 1922), built primarily for recreation on the PINE CREEK; earth-type dam, 33 ft tall and 450 ft long.
- Surface area
- 85 ac
- Normal storage
- 360 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 924 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 15.47 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources
All listed purposes: Recreation;Other.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01346 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.46 km)
Nearby Lakes in Hardin County
Frequently asked questions about Pine Lake South Beach
Where is Pine Lake South Beach?
- Pine Lake South Beach is a lake in Hardin County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pine Lake South Beach?
- Pine Lake South Beach in Hardin County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Surface area: 85 acres.
Is Pine Lake South Beach safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Pine Lake South Beach routinely exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 28.6% 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 Pine Lake South 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.
What is the water temperature of Pine Lake South Beach?
- Pine Lake South Beach typically sits around 79°F at the surface in August, from 86 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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Where this data comes from
45 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_WQX45 samples · 2021–2024
Analytical methods
- Unknown
- 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.