Kinkaid Lake
Jackson County, Illinois2,500 acresView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Kinkaid Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 72 ft max depth
- Public access
Kinkaid Lake in Jackson County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 23.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.8 µg/L. Surface area: 2500 acres.
Kinkaid Lake is a 2,500-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Jackson County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 72 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 4 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2022-07-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Kinkaid Lake covers about 2,500 acres in Jackson County. It has 4 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Kinkaid Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Kinkaid Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch4 documented ramps
- Big water2,500 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Kinkaid Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Kinkaid 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 Kinkaid Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Kinkaid Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 23.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 15.8 µg/L. TSI 54.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 23.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 15.8µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| 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 Kinkaid Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Kinkaid Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Sep (about 70°F) and coldest in May (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (70°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 489 field readings (2013–2018) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Kinkaid Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~72 ft est.
Surface area
2,500 acres
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 Kinkaid Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
59 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
31.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
430 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
- Kinkaid LakePublic
- Kinkaid LakePublic
- Kinkaid LakePublic
- Kinkaid LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Kinkaid Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Kinkaid Lake in Jackson 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 Kinkaid Lake
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Kinkaid Lake → · more Illinois lake trips
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Fishing Kinkaid Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.75 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-3.2 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Kinkaid Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Kinkaid Lake Dam (completed 1972), built primarily for recreation on the KINKAID CREEK; earth-type dam, 96 ft tall and 980 ft long.
- Surface area
- 2,500 ac
- Normal storage
- 78,500 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 153,000 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 62.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL00012 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Kinkaid 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.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_RNC · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
3 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Kinkaid Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Lake Murphysboro State Park Campground StpMurphysboro · 4.2 mi away · NPDES IL0051853Recent violation
- Lake Murphysboro State Park - Concession & Shower House StpMurphysboro · 4.5 mi away · NPDES IL0053953Recent violation
- Shawnee Sand And GravelGorham · 3.2 mi away · NPDES IL0063797
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 Jackson County
Frequently asked questions about Kinkaid Lake
Where is Kinkaid Lake?
- Kinkaid Lake is a lake in Jackson County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Kinkaid Lake?
- Kinkaid Lake in Jackson County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 23.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 15.8 µg/L. Surface area: 2500 acres.
Is Kinkaid Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Kinkaid Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Kinkaid Lake?
- Kinkaid Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in October, from 489 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2013–2018). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Kinkaid Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Kinkaid Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 72 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 2500 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Kinkaid Lake?
- Kinkaid Lake has 4 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Kinkaid Lake, Kinkaid Lake, Kinkaid Lake, Kinkaid Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Kinkaid Lake?
- Kinkaid Lake has 4 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 Kinkaid Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Illinois's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
154 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX154 samples · 2020–2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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