Where is Lake Benton?

Lake Benton is a lake in Franklin County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.

How deep is Lake Benton?

Lake Benton has a maximum depth of 18 feet and an average depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 44 acres.

Are there campgrounds on Lake Benton?

Lake Benton has 6 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Gun Creek, North Marcum Day Use Area, South Marcum Campground, Dale Miller Youth. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.

Lake Benton

Franklin County, Illinois44 acresView map Directions

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Illinois EPA for this lake.

Max depth

18 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

44 acres

Surface area

Shoreline

2.2 mi

Measured length

Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
18 ft max depth

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Lake Benton in Franklin County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 18 ft. Surface area: 44 acres.

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Lake Benton is a 44-acre lake in Franklin County, Illinois with a maximum depth of 18 feet (9-foot average).

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Lake Benton is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Camping6 public campgrounds nearby

Swimming conditions

No reading

Not rated

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Benton is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Lake Benton 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.

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Water quality measurements for Lake Benton

These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Lake Benton, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data. TSI undefined.

Ask about Lake Benton

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Max depth

18 ft

Average depth

9 ft

Surface area

44 acres

Shoreline

2.2 mi

Recreation & Access

Campgrounds

Public campgrounds near Lake Benton

Gun Creek2.7 kmReserve
North Marcum Day Use Area3.1 kmReserve
South Marcum Campground3.3 kmReserve
Dale Miller Youth3.3 kmReserve
South Marcum Day Use3.5 kmReserve
Spillway Group Area3.9 kmReserve

Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Lake Benton

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake Benton in Franklin 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 Lake Benton

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

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Follow Lake Benton’s readings

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Fishing Lake Benton

→ Lake Benton fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

EPA Impairment Status

Lake Benton is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

Designated uses not supporting: Other.

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_RNO · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Franklin County

Lake Hamilton0.5 miView →Lake Moses3.6 miView →Sesser Lake6.7 miView →Valier Lake7.2 miView →Beaver Lake10.1 miView →Zeigler Reservoir11 miView →

Frequently asked questions about Lake Benton

Where is Lake Benton?: Lake Benton is a lake in Franklin County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake Benton?: Lake Benton in Franklin County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 18 ft. Surface area: 44 acres.
Is Lake Benton safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Lake Benton is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lake Benton?: Lake Benton has a maximum depth of 18 feet and an average depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 44 acres.
Are there campgrounds on Lake Benton?: Lake Benton has 6 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Gun Creek, North Marcum Day Use Area, South Marcum Campground, Dale Miller Youth. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.