Pounds Hollow Lake
Gallatin County, Illinois28 acresView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Pounds Hollow Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Limited data
Pounds Hollow Lake in Gallatin County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27.2 µg/L. Surface area: 28 acres.
Pounds Hollow Lake is a 28-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Gallatin County, Illinois.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2020-11-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Pounds Hollow Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Pounds Hollow 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 Pounds Hollow Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Pounds Hollow Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 3.9 ft. Phosphorus 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 27.2 µg/L. TSI 58.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 3.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 30µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 27.2µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 58 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Pounds Hollow Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Pounds Hollow Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in Nov (about 57°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (57°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 319 field readings (2010–2020) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Pounds Hollow Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
28 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Pounds Hollow Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Pounds Hollow Lake
- Pine Ridge-Pounds Hollow0.7 km
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 Pounds Hollow Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Pounds Hollow Lake in Gallatin 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Pounds Hollow Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Pounds Hollow Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Illinois’s top lakes →
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Fishing Pounds Hollow Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Pounds Hollow Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Pounds Hollow (completed 1939), built primarily for recreation on the ROBINETTE; earth-type dam, 43 ft tall and 478 ft long.
- Surface area
- 28 ac
- Normal storage
- 717 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 900 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 2 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- USDA FS
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL00101 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Pounds Hollow Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Jader Coal Company-Mine #4Junction · 3.6 mi away · NPDES IL0061166
- Peabody Arclar Mining LlcEquality · 4.9 mi away · NPDES IL0064203
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 Gallatin County
Frequently asked questions about Pounds Hollow Lake
Where is Pounds Hollow Lake?
- Pounds Hollow Lake is a lake in Gallatin County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Pounds Hollow Lake?
- Pounds Hollow Lake in Gallatin County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 30 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 27.2 µg/L. Surface area: 28 acres.
Is Pounds Hollow Lake 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 Pounds Hollow Lake?
- Pounds Hollow Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October, from 319 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2020). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
Are there campgrounds on Pounds Hollow Lake?
- Pounds Hollow Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Pine Ridge-Pounds Hollow. 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.
Explore Pounds Hollow Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
52 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX52 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- MEASURED IN FIELD
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles