Doughnut Lake
Cook County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Doughnut Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
Doughnut Lake in Cook County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility.
Doughnut Lake is a lake in Cook County, Illinois.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2022-09-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Doughnut 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 Doughnut Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Doughnut 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 5 ft. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading 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. | 54 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Doughnut Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fishing Doughnut Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Doughnut Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Upper Salt Creek Structure 4 Dam (completed 1987), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the SALT CREEK; earth-type dam, 14 ft tall and 3,000 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 775 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- METROPOLITAN WATER RECLAMATION DISTRICT
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL50054 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.27 km)
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
5 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Doughnut Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Palatine Gas Station StpPalatine · 3.6 mi away · NPDES IL0080200Recent violation
- Alden Long Grove Rehabilitation Center StpLong Grove · 4.3 mi away · NPDES IL0051934Recent violation
- Arlington Internatl RacecourseArlington Heights · 0.5 mi away · NPDES IL0063487
- Yard 1035 Rolling MeadowsRolling Meadows · 0.7 mi away · NPDES IL0066427
- Camp Reinberg StpPalatine · 3.5 mi away · NPDES IL0048542
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 Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Doughnut Lake
Where is Doughnut Lake?
- Doughnut Lake is a lake in Cook County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Doughnut Lake?
- Doughnut Lake in Cook County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 ft visibility.
Is Doughnut Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
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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)
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)