
Madison County Lake Quality
Illinois, 10 lakes, average grade F (Algae-prone)
Madison County has 10 monitored lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. 2 of those lakes carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. The county average is F — the most-stressed bracket in our rubric. Most monitored lakes here show persistent nutrient loading and algal pressure.
Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Holiday Shores Lake (F) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Madison County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Holiday Shores Lake — or check the official Illinois fishing regulations.
All Lakes in Madison County
10 lakes · 2 graded, 8 not rated2 graded lakes · 8 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FHoliday Shores LakeMadison | F | 1.7 ft | 136.5 µg/L | 32.1 µg/L | No recent samples | Not recorded |
| 2 | FHighland Silver LakeMadison | F | 1.3 ft | 123 µg/L | 57.3 µg/L | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
| NRHighland Silver LakeMadison | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRDunlap LakeMadison | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRMcDonough LakeMadison | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRTower LakeMadison | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRLong LakeMadison | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRLong LakeMadison | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRCanteen LakeMadison | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded | |
| NRHorseshoe LakeMadison | NR | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
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Other Counties in Illinois
See how Madison County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.