Terry Trueblood Lake
Johnson County, IowaView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Terry Trueblood Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 18 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Terry Trueblood Lake in Johnson County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 183 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 37.9 µg/L.
Terry Trueblood Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Johnson County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 18 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Johnson County, Terry Trueblood Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Terry Trueblood Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Terry Trueblood 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 Terry Trueblood Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Terry Trueblood 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 1.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 183 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 37.9 µg/L. TSI 74.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 183µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 37.9µg/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 Terry Trueblood Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~18 ft est.
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 Terry Trueblood Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3,274 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
69 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
627 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.
Recreation & Access
- Terry Trueblood Recreation AreaPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Terry Trueblood Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Terry Trueblood Lake in Johnson 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 Terry Trueblood Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Terry Trueblood Lake
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Fishing Terry Trueblood Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2023–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-154 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-291.7 µg/L/yr2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
21 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Terry Trueblood Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 3 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 11 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Iowa City, City Of (South) StpIowa City · 1.6 mi away · NPDES IA0070866MajorRecent violation
- University Of Iowa Power PlantIowa City · 2.4 mi away · NPDES IA0003077MajorRecent violation
- Iowa City, City Of (North) StpIowa City · 1.7 mi away · NPDES IA0042617Major
- Lake RidgeIowa City · 0.9 mi away · NPDES IA0074284Recent violation
- Makada Subdivision-StpIowa City · 1.1 mi away · NPDES IA0073733Recent violation
- Iowa City Regency Mobile Home Park StpIowa City · 1.2 mi away · NPDES IA0063274Recent 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 Johnson County
Frequently asked questions about Terry Trueblood Lake
Where is Terry Trueblood Lake?
- Terry Trueblood Lake is a lake in Johnson County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Terry Trueblood Lake?
- Terry Trueblood Lake in Johnson County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 183 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 37.9 µg/L.
Is Terry Trueblood Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Terry Trueblood Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Terry Trueblood Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 18 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Terry Trueblood Lake?
- Terry Trueblood Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Terry Trueblood Lake?
- Terry Trueblood Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Terry Trueblood Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
29 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Iowa DNR Surface Water Monitoring Data
21IOWA_WQX29 samples · 2023–2024
Analytical methods
- Unknown
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory