D

Pistakee Lake

McHenry County, WisconsinEutrophic

Pistakee Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in McHenry County, IL. Water quality is graded D based on 2 sampling years through 2022. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in McHenry County, Pistakee Lake ranks #5 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, local state DNR records, last sampled 2022-10-26. Grade methodology: LakeGrade methodology.

Swimming Safety

Swimming not recommended, poor water quality with high algae risk

Water Quality Grade: D, Poor

Very murky, less than 2.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus level: 63 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 63.

Metric	Value	Grade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)	2.7 ft	F
Phosphorus	63 µg/L	D
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)	No data
Trophic State Index (TSI)	63	Eutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Location

Loading map…

County Ranking

Ranked #5 of 5 lakes in McHenry County

Cleaner Lakes Within 30 Miles

Pistakee Lake holds Grade D. 5 nearby lakes hold higher grades.

See full comparison →

Nearby Lakes in McHenry County

Woods Creek Lake

More Wisconsin Lake Rankings

Cleanest lakes in Wisconsin

Top 25 by overall water quality score

Best swimming lakes in Wisconsin

Grade A/B + low algae filter

Family fishing lakes in Wisconsin

Panfish-rich, public access

All Wisconsin lakes

Full state directory

Other Grade D Lakes in Wisconsin

Cook County · Clarity: 4 ft

Consumers Quarry Lake

Cook County · Clarity: 6.5 ft

Cook County · Clarity: 4.5 ft

Great Lakes Quarries East

Cook County · Clarity: 4.5 ft

Cook County · Clarity: 6 ft

Cook County · Clarity: 5 ft

Eutrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Lake Opeka Consumers Quarry Lake Lake Charlemagne Lake Arlington

EPA Impairment Status

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

Causes of impairment

MercuryNutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)PCBsTurbidity

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

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_RTU · Official waterbody report

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: 2022-10-26

Monitoring stations: 2