Silver Lake: Basic Facts

Location

• County: Palo Alto
• Nearby community: Ayrshire

About the lake

• Lake size: 640 acres
• Lake depth: average: 4.8 ft; maximum: 7 ft.
• Listed on Iowa's impaired waters list in: 1998
• One of five natural glacial lakes located in Palo Alto County
• Has only 13 residents living along the lakeshore
• Recreational uses: fishing, hunting, skiing; known for walleye and perch fishing

About the watershed

• Watershed size: 8,370 acres
• Watershed to lake ratio: 13 to 1
• Land use:
  • Cropland: 6,610 acres
  • Grassland: 1,380 acres
  • Forest: 150 acres
  • Alfalfa: 110 acres
  • Other: 120 acres