Busse Lake Main Pool
Cook County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Busse Lake Main Pool in Cook County, Illinois is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 3.5 ft
- Typical in August
- 74°F
- Max depth
- ~42 ft est.
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Busse Lake Main Pool’s letter
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Why Busse Lake Main Pool has no grade
Busse Lake Main Pool has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Busse Lake Main Pool is Not Rated — not an F. Its 3.5-foot median from 1 readings collected 2022 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by Illinois EPA and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Busse Lake Main Pool is a lake in Cook County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2022-07-25. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedBacteria advisory
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Busse Lake Main Pool is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pCBs, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Busse Lake Main Pool
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft. TSI 59.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 59 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Water Temperature
Busse Lake Main Pool typically sits around 74°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in May (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 183 field readings (2013–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Busse Lake Main Pool water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~42 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~9 ft est. |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Illinois has not published bathymetry for Busse Lake Main Pool.
Lake Size & Watershed
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.
Fishing Busse Lake Main Pool
EPA Impairment Status
Busse Lake Main Pool is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_RGZX · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (0.54 km)
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
10 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Busse Lake Main Pool under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 4 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 7 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Mwrdgc-John E. Egan WrpChicago · 1.5 mi away · NPDES IL0036340MajorRecent violation
- Itasca, Village Of - Prospect Avenue WwtpItasca · 3.4 mi away · NPDES IL0079073MajorRecent violation
- Wood Dale North Stp, City OfWood Dale · 4.3 mi away · NPDES IL0020061MajorRecent violation
- Itasca Stp, Village OfItasca · 3.8 mi away · NPDES IL0026280Major
- Exxonmobil Des Plaines TerminalArlington Heights · 2.8 mi away · NPDES IL0066362Recent violation
- Us Energy - A Division Of Us Venture IncArlington Heights · 2.8 mi away · NPDES IL0062791Recent 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.
Graded lakes near Busse Lake Main Pool
Busse Lake Main Pool has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Busse Lake Main Pool
Where is Busse Lake Main Pool?
- Busse Lake Main Pool is a lake in Cook County, Illinois. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — no nutrient or algae measurement meets the evidence bar (at least 3 samples within 10 years).
What is the water quality grade for Busse Lake Main Pool?
- Busse Lake Main Pool in Cook County, Illinois is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 3.5 ft visibility.
Is Busse Lake Main Pool safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Busse Lake Main Pool is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal), pCBs, turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Busse Lake Main Pool?
- Busse Lake Main Pool typically sits around 74°F at the surface in August, from 183 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2013–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Busse Lake Main Pool?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Busse Lake Main Pool, 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.
Explore Busse Lake Main Pool across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Illinois Water Science Center
USGS-IL1 sample · 2022
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated 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)