Ambient Lake Monitoring
The Ambient Lake Monitoring program samples lakes in Iowa over the summer recreational season. Each lake is sampled three times between May and September: once in early summer, once in mid-summer, and once in late summer/early fall. Data from this project are used to assess the health of our lakes and target individual lakes for restoration and watershed improvement activities. Monitoring is currently completed through a partnership with the Iowa State University Limnology Laboratory.
Program Details
| Sampling Results (2013 to 2023) | 80,704 |
| # of Sites |
Current Ambient Lake Sites
| SiteID | Site | County |
|---|
Lake Water Quality Summary 2013 to 2023
Summary statistics last calculated 2/5/2024 3:54:40 PM
| Analyte | Units | # Results | Min | 10th Percentile | 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | 90th Percentile | Max | Max Sample Date | % Non-detection |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonia | mg/l | 4,275 | <0 | <0 | <0.0001 | 0.003 | 0.01 | 0.016 | 0.433 | 7/17/2017 | 37.36 |
| Ammonia-nitrogen | mg/l | 4,302 | <0.0006 | <0.00501 | 0.01306 | 0.026 | 0.075 | 0.198 | 1.72 | 7/25/2022 | 23.76 |
| Calcium carbonate | mg/l | 4,275 | 9 | 80.548 | 96 | 123 | 154.11 | 190 | 485 | 8/6/2018 | 0.00 |
| Chlorophyll a | ug/l | 4,302 | <0.4 | 3.3 | 7.14856 | 22 | 48.50384 | 87.48264 | 649.8 | 8/9/2022 | 7.53 |
| Depth, Secchi disk depth | m | 3,908 | 0 | 0.3 | 0.45 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 2.5 | 10 | 7/21/2015 | 0.00 |
| Dissolved oxygen (DO) | mg/l | 3,862 | 0.8 | 5.4898 | 7.05818 | 8.5 | 10.1 | 12.1 | 26.1 | 5/16/2016 | 0.00 |
| Dissolved oxygen saturation | % | 3,862 | 9.1 | 64.773 | 82.85 | 99.97 | 119.3 | 144 | 310.1 | 9/8/2016 | 0.00 |
| Escherichia coli | MPN/100ml | 410 | <1 | <1 | <1 | 10 | 10 | 20 | 6130 | 5/27/2020 | 47.56 |
| Fixed suspended solids | mg/l | 4,301 | <0 | <1.2 | <2.2 | 3.99 | 8 | 15 | 201 | 5/29/2013 | 36.06 |
| Kjeldahl nitrogen | mg/l | 4,159 | <0.16 | 0.58 | 0.86 | 1.2 | 1.71 | 2.32043 | 8.84 | 6/13/2023 | 5.51 |
| Microcystin | ug/l | 2,480 | Not calculated when non-detections exceed 50% | 59.80 | |||||||
| Nitrate + Nitrite | mg/l | 4,159 | Not calculated when non-detections exceed 50% | 52.80 | |||||||
| Orthophosphate | mg/l | 4,301 | Not calculated when non-detections exceed 50% | 68.77 | |||||||
| pH | None | 3,846 | 6.7 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.36825 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 10.2 | 8/5/2013 | 0.00 |
| Phycocyanin | ug/l | 2,690 | <1.8 | <7 | 22.24 | 60.65 | 126.3 | 220.44 | 11107.53 | 6/28/2022 | 10.11 |
| Specific conductance | uS/cm | 3,886 | 79.4 | 210 | 253.85 | 330.95 | 433 | 536.365 | 1230 | 9/14/2020 | 0.00 |
| Temperature, water | deg C | 3,895 | 10.34 | 18.5 | 21.7 | 23.9 | 25.9 | 27.4 | 31.7 | 7/11/2017 | 0.00 |
| Total dissolved solids | mg/l | 3,881 | 51.7 | 138.64 | 165.64 | 216.2093 | 280 | 350 | 800 | 9/14/2020 | 0.00 |
| Total Phosphorus, mixed forms | mg/l | 4,298 | <0.004 | 0.0259 | 0.04312 | 0.07558 | 0.133 | 0.21956 | 1.992 | 9/15/2021 | 3.63 |
| Total suspended solids | mg/l | 4,301 | <0.8 | 3 | 5.7 | 11 | 18 | 29.3 | 413 | 5/31/2022 | 9.95 |
| Turbidity | NTU | 3,721 | <0 | 1.6 | 4.3 | 9.3 | 17.6 | 31.3 | 462.5 | 6/3/2013 | 3.14 |
| Volatile Suspended Solids | mg/l | 1,590 | <0 | <2.4 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 9.9425 | 15.6 | 182 | 5/22/2023 | 20.50 |
Project Codes in this Program
| Code | Description |
|---|
Additional Summary Calculations
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| TSI (ChlA) | 66 |
| TSI (Secchi) | 59 |
| TSI (TP) | 72 |