Swan Lake Max Depth
Carroll County, Iowa130 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Swan Lake Max Depth. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Algal growth
- 41 ft max depth
Swan Lake Max Depth in Carroll County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 433 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 74 µg/L. Surface area: 130 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Swan Lake Max Depth, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 10 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Swan Lake Max Depth is a 130-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Carroll County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 41 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-04. 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. Swan Lake Max Depth is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, pH / acidity, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Swan Lake Max Depth 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 Swan Lake Max Depth
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Swan Lake Max Depth, 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. Phosphorus 433 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 74 µg/L. TSI 79.
| 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 | 433µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 74µg/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. | 79 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Swan Lake Max Depth
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Swan Lake Max Depth typically sits around 76°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in May (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Swan Lake Max Depth water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~41 ft est.
Surface area
130 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 Swan Lake Max Depth.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,243 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 Swan Lake Max Depth
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Swan Lake Max Depth in Carroll 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 Swan Lake Max Depth are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Swan Lake Max Depth
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Fishing Swan Lake Max Depth
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+56.15 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-2.07 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Swan Lake Max Depth is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Swan Lake Dam (completed 1935), built primarily for fish and wildlife pond on the Trib to Middle Raccoon; earth-type dam, 10 ft tall and 900 ft long.
- Surface area
- 130 ac
- Normal storage
- 440 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 600 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 1.4 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA04222 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.46 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Swan Lake Max Depth 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 04-RAC-1199 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Carroll County
Frequently asked questions about Swan Lake Max Depth
Where is Swan Lake Max Depth?
- Swan Lake Max Depth is a lake in Carroll County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Swan Lake Max Depth?
- Swan Lake Max Depth in Carroll County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 433 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 74 µg/L. Surface area: 130 acres.
Is Swan Lake Max Depth safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Swan Lake Max Depth is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for algal growth, pH / acidity, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Swan Lake Max Depth?
- Swan Lake Max Depth typically sits around 76°F at the surface in August, 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 Swan Lake Max Depth?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Swan Lake Max Depth, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 41 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 130 acres.
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Where this data comes from
57 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_WQX57 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)