Galena Lake
Jo Daviess 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.
- 48 ft max depth
- Limited data
Galena Lake in Jo Daviess County, Illinois is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 5.2 ft
- Max depth
- ~48 ft est.
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Watch Galena Lake’s letter
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Why Galena Lake has no grade
Galena Lake 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, Galena Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 5.2-foot median from 1 readings collected 2020 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.
Galena Lake is a lake in Jo Daviess County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 48 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2020-07-17. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Galena Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 5.2 ft. TSI 53.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.2 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 53 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~48 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~20 ft est. |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Illinois has not published bathymetry for Galena Lake.
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 Galena Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Galena Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Smallpox Creek Dam (completed 1974), built primarily for recreation on the SMALLPOX CREEK; rockfill-type dam, 60 ft tall and 1,100 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 4,208 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,500 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- GALENA TERRITORY ASSOCIATION, INC.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL01003 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Galena Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Iawc - Galena Territory StpGalena · 0.9 mi away · NPDES IL0061085Recent violation
- Walnut Ridge Of Galena-GalenaGalena · 3.1 mi away · NPDES IL0076601
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 Galena Lake
Galena Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Jo Daviess County
Frequently asked questions about Galena Lake
Where is Galena Lake?
- Galena Lake is a lake in Jo Daviess 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 Galena Lake?
- Galena Lake in Jo Daviess County, Illinois is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 5.2 ft visibility.
Is Galena Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Galena Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Galena Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 48 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Galena Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS1 sample · 2020
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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)