Rodgers Lake
Benton County, Iowa23 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Rodgers Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 24 ft max depth
- Public access
Rodgers Lake in Benton County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 91.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 44.5 µg/L. Surface area: 23 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Rodgers Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 14 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Rodgers Lake is a 23-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Benton County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 24 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Benton County, Rodgers Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-10-23. 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. Rodgers Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Rodgers 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 Rodgers Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Rodgers 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 2.6 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 91.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 44.5 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 91.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 44.5µg/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. | 67 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Rodgers Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Rodgers Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 82°F) and coldest in Sep (about 72°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (72°F) to its warmest (82°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Rodgers Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~24 ft est.
Surface area
23 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Iowa DNR
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Iowa has not published bathymetry for Rodgers Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
843 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 Rodgers Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rodgers Lake in Benton 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 Rodgers Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Rodgers Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Rodgers Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-35.1 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-15.63 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Rodgers Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Rodgers Park Lake Dam (completed 1977), built primarily for recreation on the TR-CEDAR RIVER; earth-type dam, 30 ft tall and 700 ft long.
- Surface area
- 23 ac
- Normal storage
- 128 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 571 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 3.21 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- Benton County Conservation Board
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01925 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.1 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Rodgers 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 02-CED-526 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Rodgers Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Mount Auburn City Of StpMount Auburn · 3.6 mi away · NPDES IA0059153Recent 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 Benton County
Frequently asked questions about Rodgers Lake
Where is Rodgers Lake?
- Rodgers Lake is a lake in Benton County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rodgers Lake?
- Rodgers Lake in Benton County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 91.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 44.5 µg/L. Surface area: 23 acres.
Is Rodgers Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rodgers Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for algal growth. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Rodgers Lake?
- Rodgers Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September, from 29 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Rodgers Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Rodgers Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 24 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 23 acres.
Can I fish at Rodgers Lake?
- Public access to Rodgers Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Iowa's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Rodgers Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
75 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_WQX75 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)