Lake George
Steuben County, Indiana538 acresView mapDirections
IDEM publishes the water-quality measurements for Lake George. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
Lake George in Steuben County, Indiana has water-quality measurements published by IDEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L. Surface area: 537.95 acres.
Lake George is a 538-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Steuben County, Indiana with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, IDEM, last sampled 2024-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lake George covers about 540 acres in Steuben County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Lake George on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Lake George is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lake George is safe to swim in today is a call for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Lake George
These are the measurements IDEM publishes for Lake George, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft. Phosphorus 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2 µg/L. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 22µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Lake George
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lake George typically sits around 81°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in Jun (about 76°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (76°F) to its warmest (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2012–2018) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lake George water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~42 ft est.
Surface area
538 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by IDEM
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Indiana has not published bathymetry for Lake George.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
17 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
968 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lake George
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lake George in Steuben County, Indiana — 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 George
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Lake George → · more Indiana lake trips
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Fishing Lake George
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+6.3 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.3 µg/L/yr5 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Lake George is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake George Dam (completed 1927), built primarily for recreation on the CROOKED CREEK; earth-type dam, 15 ft tall and 405 ft long.
- Surface area
- 537.95 ac
- Normal storage
- 11,100 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 12,200 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 14.7 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- LAKE GEORGE COTTAGERS ASSOCIATION
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IN00798 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
8 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Lake George under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 2 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Angola Travelers MallAngola · 1.2 mi away · NPDES IN0032891Recent violation
- Xpo Logistics Freight Inc. - XcwFremont · 1.3 mi away · NPDES INRM01163Recent violation
- Consolidated FreightwaysFremont · 1.1 mi away · NPDES IN0048461
- Petro 2 Travel PlazaFremont · 1.1 mi away · NPDES ING080264
- Con-Way FreightFremont · 1.3 mi away · NPDES IN0062634
- Fremont Fedex Freight ExpansionFremont · 1.4 mi away · NPDES INR10K663
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 Steuben County
Frequently asked questions about Lake George
Where is Lake George?
- Lake George is a lake in Steuben County, Indiana. Its water-quality measurements are published by IDEM and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lake George?
- Lake George in Steuben County, Indiana has water-quality measurements published by IDEM, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 22 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L. Surface area: 537.95 acres.
Is Lake George safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lake George?
- Lake George typically sits around 81°F at the surface in August, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2012–2018). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Lake George?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lake George, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 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 537.95 acres.
Can I fish at Lake George?
- Public access to Lake George is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Indiana's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Lake George across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Top lakes and where to stay in the Northern Indiana Lake Country area
Where to stay at Indiana's top lakes, each with its readings
Indiana's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Indiana
Other Lakes in Indiana
Oligotrophic Lakes in Indiana
Compare Lake George With Nearby Lakes
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)
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)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)