Weekly Water Watch
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During the summer recreation season, our Weekly Water Watch e-newsletter provides important water quality news and water-related events across the state.
For swimming and beach safety information, visit the Iowa Department of Natural Resources' Beach Monitoring website. This website has different tabs for State Beaches, City and County Beaches, and beaches monitored by the US Army Corps of Engineers, so be sure check each tab to find the site you are interested in.
Please note: Some local, city, and county swimming areas and beaches may not be reflected in the DNR data. For information about specific beaches, contact the entity that oversees that waterway. Always pay attention to water quality or swimming notices posted at beaches, and report water that looks or smells unhealthy to your city, county, or the Iowa DNR. Pollutant levels in waterways, including E. coli and microcystin, can change quickly, even within one day.
Learn more about beach monitoring.
Notable Statistics from Summer 2025
- Since IEC began tracking advisories in 2014, this year has had the highest number of state advisories, and 20 more advisories than the 2024 beach season. The record-breaking total was driven by the highest number of E. coli advisories. In the 15-week monitoring period for 40 public beaches, Iowa DNR issued 158 beach advisories for E. coli and 12 for microcystin.
- 27 out of 40 state beaches had at least one advisory between Memorial Day to Labor Day.
- Backbone Lake, Beeds Lake, and Lower Pine Lake Beach shared the most advisories for E. coli – 12 of the 15 weeks of the summer monitoring period.
- While the number of microcystin advisories was below the annual average, Lake Darling Beach’s algal blooms worsened. For the third year in a row, Lake Darling had the worst overall beach health with ten E. coli advisories and six microcystin advisories.
- As a recently added recreation site, advisories from Bobwhite State Park were not included in DNR’s weekly reports. However, the beach regularly exceeded safe E. coli levels with eight weeks of exceedances during the 15-week monitoring period.
- In the same period, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District issued 20 advisories for E. coli on the six beaches it monitors on Iowa reservoirs. The Corps will continue to release advisories for Saylorville, Red Rock, and Coralville reservoir beaches for another week.