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These 13 Iowa beaches are not recommended for swimming due to high E. coli or algae

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These 13 Iowa beaches are not recommended for swimming due to high E. coli or algae


Don’t forget to check the water quality reports if you head to the beach this weekend. More than a few beaches are not recommended for swimming.

A total of 13 beaches are not recommended for swimming this week. High E. coli levels were reported at 12 beaches and high algal toxin levels were reported at two.

Wondering how can you check up on water monitoring, beach classifications and know what locations are open or closed? Iowa Department of Natural Resources tracks it all and updates the public weekly on its website and using a phone hotline at 515-725-3434.

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The DNR collects weekly samples at 39 state-owned swimming beaches to determine the public’s risk of coming in contact with waterborne diseases. Testing starts a week prior to Memorial Day and runs through Labor Day. 

What Iowa beaches are not recommended for swimming?

Backbone Lake

  • Beach classification: Vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

Beeds Lake

  • Beach classification: Vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 23

Black Hawk Lake

  • Beach classification: Less vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 23

Blue Lake

  • Beach classification: Less vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 23

Denison Beach

  • Beach classification: Less vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 23

George Wyth Lake

  • Beach classification: Vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

Lake Ahquabi

  • Beach classification: Less vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

Lake Darling

  • Beach classification: Vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

Lake of Three Fires

  • Beach classification: Less vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

Nine Eagles Lake

  • Beach classification: Vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 23

Pleasant Creek Lake

  • Beach classification: Less vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

Rock Creek Lake

  • Beach classification: Less vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

Union Grove Lake

  • Beach classification: Vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

West Okoboji Lake

  • Beach classification: Vulnerable
  • Last test date: July 24

What Iowa beaches have a special status?

Lake Keomah: Monitoring by DNR has been suspended for the 2024 season. The DNR expected to start draining the lake on July 9 for a major renovation and water quality improvement project that will last until spring 2026.

What Iowa beaches have improved to ‘OK for swimming’?

Three beaches previously considered “not recommended for swimming” in Week 9 data, posted on July 19, are now OK for swimming:

  • Pheasant Creek Beach
  • Emerson Bay Beach
  • Denison Beach

How does the Iowa DNR classify Iowa’s beaches based on their water quality?

DNR officials classify state park beaches into one of three categories annually based on their history of bacteria results in recent years:

Vulnerable: Beaches are considered vulnerable when the geometric mean standard is exceeded in three or more of the five most recent sampling seasons.

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Transitional: The beach’s geometric mean standard is exceeded in two or fewer sampling seasons of the five most recent years of monitoring and was listed as “vulnerable” in the past monitoring seasons.

Less vulnerable: The beach’s geometric mean standard is exceeded in two or fewer sampling seasons of the five most recent years of monitoring and was listed as “transitional” or “less vulnerable” in past monitoring seasons.

Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at vreynarodriguez@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @VictoriaReynaR.





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Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe

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Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor commits to Big Ten foe


An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.

Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.

On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.

Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.

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The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.

Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.

The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.

Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.

As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.

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Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews



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Sen. Chuck Grassley shares he’s recovering from gallstone surgery

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Sen. Chuck Grassley shares he’s recovering from gallstone surgery


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Senator Chuck Grassley said he’s recovering from a gallstone removal procedure.

His media team shared that he is working in Iowa “in good spirits and looks forward to returning to Washington soon.”

“I’m gr8ful [sic] for the excellent care from local health care providers,” he shared on X.

Grassley, 92, is the oldest senator currently in office and the sixth-longest-serving senator in U.S. history.

The Senate is in session this week.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.





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Former Iowa State star, All-American Audi Crooks announces transfer destination

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Former Iowa State star, All-American Audi Crooks announces transfer destination


Former Iowa State center Audi Crooks has committed to Oklahoma State via the NCAA Transfer Portal. She has one season of eligibility remaining.

Crooks made 99 appearances and 95 starts during her three seasons at Iowa State. She averaged 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this past season, while shooting 64.9% from the field. Additionally, the 6-foot-3 star shot 1-11 from 3-point range.

Crooks played a leading role for the Cyclones from the moment she stepped on campus. She is a three-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and two-time All-American. On April 2, Crooks announced her intention to enter the transfer portal.

“Cyclone Nation, thank you all for embracing me and showing up to Hilton every single game day. I’ve met so many of you out in the community, and I will cherish all of the genuine connections that I’ve built during my time at Iowa State,” Crooks wrote. “Words cannot fully express how grateful I feel to have called this place home.

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“I want to thank my teammates for their friendship and all the great memories. … I still believe the grass is greener where you water it, and I’ve done that here.”

Now, Audi Crooks will aim to thrive in her new environment. Oklahoma finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-10 overall record.

The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened on April 6 and closes on April 20. The new 15-day window was enacted following a recommendation by the women’s basketball oversight committee. Athletes don’t have to commit to a new school by the April 21 deadline.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.





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