Hastings Lake
Lake 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 · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 20 ft max depth
- Limited data
Hastings Lake in Lake County, Illinois is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility.
- Clarity
- 3.4 ft
- Typical in August
- 74°F
- Max depth
- ~20 ft est.
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Stays near Hastings Lake
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Watch Hastings Lake’s letter
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Why Hastings Lake has no grade
Hastings 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, Hastings Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 3.4-foot median from 4 readings collected 2020–2021 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.
Hastings Lake is a lake in Lake County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 20 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2021-07-26. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
Swimming Safety
Not ratedBacteria advisory
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Hastings Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Hastings Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Murky, only visible to about 3.4 ft. TSI 59.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 3.4 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
Hastings Lake typically sits around 74°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 76°F) and coldest in Oct (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 133 field readings (2012–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Hastings Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~20 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~10 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 Hastings 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 Hastings Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 2 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -16 m/yr | 2 |
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Hastings Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Linden Dam (completed 1955), built primarily for recreation on the TRIB HASTINGS LAKE; earth-type dam, 10 ft tall and 600 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 39 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 169 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- MORTON ENGEL
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL00646 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.83 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Hastings Lake 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_RGZB · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Hastings Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 2 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Lindenhurst Sd StpLindenhurst · 0.5 mi away · NPDES IL0020796MajorRecent violation
- Lcdpw - Mill Creek WrfOld Mill Creek · 4.4 mi away · NPDES IL0071366MajorRecent violation
- Illinois Cattle Feeders, Inc.Lake Villa · 2.3 mi away · NPDES IL0035947
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 Hastings Lake
Hastings Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Hastings Lake
Where is Hastings Lake?
- Hastings Lake is a lake in Lake County, Illinois. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Hastings Lake?
- Hastings Lake in Lake County, Illinois is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 3.4 ft visibility.
Is Hastings Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Hastings Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pathogens (E. coli, fecal). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Hastings Lake?
- Hastings Lake typically sits around 74°F at the surface in August, from 133 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2012–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Hastings Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Hastings Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 20 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Hastings Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS4 samples · 2020–2021
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)