Prairie Rose Lake
Shelby County, Iowa200 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Prairie Rose Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
Prairie Rose Lake in Shelby County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 159 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 73.6 µg/L. Surface area: 200 acres.
Prairie Rose Lake is a 200-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Shelby County, Iowa. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Shelby County, Prairie Rose Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Prairie Rose Lake covers about 200 acres in Shelby County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Prairie Rose Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyBacteria advisory
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.
Based on E. coli testing, Prairie Rose Lake never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 11 samples across 4 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 Prairie Rose 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 Prairie Rose Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Prairie Rose 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 1.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 159 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 73.6 µg/L. TSI 74.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 159µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 73.6µg/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. | 74 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Prairie Rose Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Prairie Rose Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 82°F) and coldest in Oct (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 38 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Prairie Rose Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
200 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Prairie Rose Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Prairie Rose Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Prairie Rose Lake in Shelby 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 Prairie Rose Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Prairie Rose Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Prairie Rose Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+27.3 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-4.13 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Prairie Rose Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Prairie Rose Lake Dam (completed 1960), built primarily for recreation on the TR-EAST BR WEST NISHNABOTA; earth-type dam, 55 ft tall and 950 ft long.
- Surface area
- 200 ac
- Normal storage
- 3,602 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,824 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 6.95 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01008 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Prairie Rose Lake 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-NSH-1462 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Prairie Rose Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Harlan City Of StpHarlan · 4.7 mi away · NPDES IA0021342MajorRecent 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 Shelby County
Frequently asked questions about Prairie Rose Lake
Where is Prairie Rose Lake?
- Prairie Rose Lake is a lake in Shelby County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Prairie Rose Lake?
- Prairie Rose Lake in Shelby County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 159 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 73.6 µg/L. Surface area: 200 acres.
Is Prairie Rose Lake safe to swim in?
- Based on E. coli testing, Prairie Rose Lake never exceeded the EPA safe-swimming threshold (235 MPN/100mL) — on 0% of 11 samples across 4 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 Prairie Rose Lake 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 Prairie Rose Lake?
- Prairie Rose Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October, from 38 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Prairie Rose Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
67 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_WQX67 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
- 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)