Wilson Lake
Taylor County, Iowa17 acresView mapDirections
Iowa DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Wilson Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Turbidity
Wilson Lake in Taylor County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 96.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 48.3 µg/L. Surface area: 16.5 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Wilson Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 16 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Iowa DNR.
Wilson Lake is a 17-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Taylor County, Iowa. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 3 other monitored lakes in Taylor County, Wilson Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Iowa DNR, last sampled 2024-10-01. 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. Wilson Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Wilson 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 Wilson Lake
These are the measurements Iowa DNR publishes for Wilson 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 96.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 48.3 µg/L. TSI 70.
| 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 | 96.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 48.3µg/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. | 70 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Wilson Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Wilson Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 80°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°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 (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 23 field readings (2010–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Wilson Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
17 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Wilson Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Wilson Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Wilson Lake in Taylor 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 Wilson Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Wilson Lake
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Fishing Wilson Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2024). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+67.21 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-10.39 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Wilson Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wilson Lake Dam (completed 1967), built primarily for recreation on the TR-EAST 102 RIVER; earth-type dam, 29 ft tall and 970 ft long.
- Surface area
- 16.5 ac
- Normal storage
- 142 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 204 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 0.36 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Taylor County Conservation Board
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IA01057 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Wilson 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 05-PLA-1477 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Wilson Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Michael Foods, Inc.Lenox · 2.9 mi away · NPDES IA0075647Recent violation
- Lenox City Of StpLenox · 3.2 mi away · NPDES IA0027995
- Clearfield City Of StpClearfield · 4.3 mi away · NPDES IA0070980
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 Taylor County
Frequently asked questions about Wilson Lake
Where is Wilson Lake?
- Wilson Lake is a lake in Taylor County, Iowa. Its water-quality measurements are published by Iowa DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Wilson Lake?
- Wilson Lake in Taylor County, Iowa has water-quality measurements published by Iowa DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.6 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 96.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 48.3 µg/L. Surface area: 16.5 acres.
Is Wilson Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Wilson Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Wilson Lake?
- Wilson Lake typically sits around 72°F at the surface in September, from 23 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Explore Wilson Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
41 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Iowa DNR Surface Water Monitoring Data
21IOWA_WQX41 samples · 2021–2024
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)