West Lake Osceola
Clarke County, Iowa306 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for West Lake Osceola. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Oxygen depletion (low DO)
- 31 ft max depth
West Lake Osceola in Clarke County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 75.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 28.7 µg/L. Surface area: 306 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of West Lake Osceola, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 15 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
West Lake Osceola is a 306-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Clarke County, Iowa with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Clarke County, West Lake Osceola ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-09-30. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
West Lake Osceola covers about 310 acres in Clarke County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around West Lake Osceola, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. West Lake Osceola is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether West Lake Osceola 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 West Lake Osceola
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for West Lake Osceola, 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 2.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 75.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 28.7 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 75.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 28.7µg/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. | 65 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about West Lake Osceola
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
West Lake Osceola typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 81°F) and coldest in May (about 69°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (69°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 29 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full West Lake Osceola water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 ft est.
Surface area
306 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 West Lake Osceola.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
9 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
5.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,066 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 West Lake Osceola
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near West Lake Osceola in Clarke 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 West Lake Osceola are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near West Lake Osceola
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Iowa’s top lakes →
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Fishing West Lake Osceola
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+13.85 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+2.19 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
West Lake Osceola is a man-made reservoir impounded by the West Lake Dam (completed 1935), built primarily for water supply on the TR-SOUTH SQUAW CREEK; earth-type dam, 58 ft tall and 1,275 ft long.
- Surface area
- 306 ac
- Normal storage
- 4,195 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 9,675 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 9.84 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- City of Osceola Water Utilities Board
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA00213 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.1 km)
EPA Impairment Status
West Lake Osceola 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: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IA 04-LDM-1082 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of West Lake Osceola under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Osceola City Of WtpOsceola · 0.1 mi away · NPDES IA0082953Recent 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 Clarke County
Frequently asked questions about West Lake Osceola
Where is West Lake Osceola?
- West Lake Osceola is a lake in Clarke County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of West Lake Osceola?
- West Lake Osceola in Clarke County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 75.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 28.7 µg/L. Surface area: 306 acres.
Is West Lake Osceola safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. West Lake Osceola is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for oxygen depletion (low DO). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of West Lake Osceola?
- West Lake Osceola 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 West Lake Osceola?
- No published bathymetric survey covers West Lake Osceola, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 306 acres.
Explore West Lake Osceola across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
62 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_WQX62 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)