Bluff Lake
Lake County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Bluff Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bluff Lake in Lake County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 315.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 30.8 µg/L.
Bluff Lake is a lake in Lake County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2022-10-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Bluff Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bluff Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bluff Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Bluff Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Bluff Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft. Phosphorus 315.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 30.8 µg/L. TSI 70.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 316µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 30.8µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 70 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Bluff Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Bluff Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in May (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (79°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 186 field readings (2012–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Bluff Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~42 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Illinois EPA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Illinois has not published bathymetry for Bluff Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
82 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
732 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Fox Chain O'LakesPublic
- a resortSemi-private
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bluff Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bluff Lake in Lake County, Illinois — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Bluff Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Bluff Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Bluff Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_VTJ · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Bluff Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Laurel Peat MineAntioch · 2 mi away · NPDES IL0066036Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Bluff Lake
Where is Bluff Lake?
- Bluff Lake is a lake in Lake County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bluff Lake?
- Bluff Lake in Lake County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 315.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 30.8 µg/L.
Is Bluff Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bluff Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Bluff Lake?
- Bluff Lake typically sits around 58°F at the surface in October, from 186 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2012–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Bluff Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Bluff Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Bluff Lake?
- Bluff Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Fox Chain O'Lakes, a resort. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Bluff Lake?
- Bluff Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Illinois's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Bluff Lake across LakeQuality
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Top lakes and where to stay in the Chain O'Lakes area
Where to stay at Illinois's top lakes, each with its readings
Illinois's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Eutrophic Lakes in Illinois
Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX12 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- MEASURED IN FIELD
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory