What is the water quality grade for Maple Lake?

Maple Lake in Cook County, Wisconsin received a water quality grade of D (Poor). Water clarity: 5 ft visibility. Surface area: 60 acres.

Is Maple Lake safe to swim in?

Swimming not recommended, poor water quality with high algae risk. Maple Lake has an overall water quality grade of D. Always check local health department advisories before swimming.

Maple Lake

Cook County, WisconsinLimited DataEutrophic

Maple Lake is a 60-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Cook County, IL. Water quality is graded D based on 1 sampling years through 2022. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in Cook County, Maple Lake ranks #21 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, local state DNR records, last sampled 2022-03-23. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Swimming not recommended, poor water quality with high algae risk

Water Quality Grade: D, Poor

Murky, only visible to about 5 ft. Trophic State Index: 54.

Metric	Value	Grade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)	5 ft	D
Phosphorus	No data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)	54	Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Lake Details

Characteristic	Value
Surface Area	60 acres

Location

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County Ranking

Ranked #21 of 68 lakes in Cook County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Maple Lake holds Grade D. 2 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in Cook County

Diversey Harbor Lake

Cook County

Csmi 2015 Station S Lake

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Top 25 by overall water quality score

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Panfish-rich, public access

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Other Grade D Lakes in Wisconsin

Long Lake

Lake County · Clarity: 3.4 ft

Hastings Lake

Lake County · Clarity: 3.4 ft

Galena Lake

Jo Daviess County · Clarity: 5.2 ft

Dutchman Lake

Johnson County · Clarity: 2.1 ft

Forbes Lake

Marion County · Clarity: 1.4 ft

Mermet Lake

Massac County · Clarity: 1.6 ft

Eutrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Long Lake Lake of Egypt Vienna Correctional Center Lake One Horse Gap Lake

Reservoir Info (USACE NID)

Maple Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Maple Lake Dam (completed 1918), built primarily for recreation on the TRIB DES PLAINES RIVER; earth-type dam, 25 ft tall and 110 ft long.

Surface area: 60 ac
Normal storage: 412 ac-ft
Max storage: 765 ac-ft
Drainage area: 0.6 sq mi
Hazard class: Significant
Owner: FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF COOK COUNTY

Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL00878 · Operator website

EPA Impairment Status

Maple Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

Algal growthNoxious aquatic plantsNutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)Turbidity

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_RHZF · Official waterbody report · Matched by proximity (1.05 km)

Data Sources

Water quality data from the EPA Water Quality Portal

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Grading methodology based on Metropolitan Council standards

Most recent sample: 2022-03-23

Monitoring stations: 1