Powderhorn Lake
Cook County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Powderhorn Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 43 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Powderhorn Lake in Cook County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.8 µg/L.
Powderhorn Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Cook County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 43 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 15 other monitored lakes in Cook County, Powderhorn Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2021-10-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Powderhorn Lake has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Powderhorn Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Powderhorn Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.1 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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. Powderhorn Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Powderhorn 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 Powderhorn Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Powderhorn Lake, 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 10.1 ft. Phosphorus 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4.8 µg/L. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 15µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 4.8µg/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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Powderhorn Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Powderhorn Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 78°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 83°F) and coldest in May (about 61°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (61°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 347 field readings (2011–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Powderhorn Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~43 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Illinois EPA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Illinois has not published bathymetry for Powderhorn Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
96 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
577 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.
Recreation & Access
- Powderhorn LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Powderhorn Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Powderhorn Lake in Cook 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 Powderhorn Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 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.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Illinois’s top lakes →
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Fishing Powderhorn Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Powderhorn Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_RHG · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
107 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Powderhorn Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 2 classified by the EPA as major dischargers. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Hammond Wastewater FacilityHammond · 2.4 mi away · NPDES IN0023060MajorRecent violation
- East Chicago Sanitary DistrictEast Chicago · 3 mi away · NPDES IN0022829MajorRecent violation
- Wr Grace & CoEast Chicago · 4.4 mi away · NPDES IN0000329Recent violation
- Chicago Street Widening And Reconstruction Phase 1Hammond · 0.2 mi away · NPDES INRA03343
- Chicago Street Widening & Reconstruction - Phase IiiHammond · 0.3 mi away · NPDES INR10N045
- Chicago Street Widening & Reconstruction Project - Part I - Advanced ClearingHammond · 0.6 mi away · NPDES INR10N050
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 Cook County
Frequently asked questions about Powderhorn Lake
Where is Powderhorn Lake?
- Powderhorn Lake is a lake in Cook County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Powderhorn Lake?
- Powderhorn Lake in Cook County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4.8 µg/L.
Is Powderhorn Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Powderhorn Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Powderhorn Lake?
- Powderhorn Lake typically sits around 63°F at the surface in October, from 347 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Powderhorn Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Powderhorn Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 43 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Powderhorn Lake?
- Powderhorn Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Powderhorn Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Powderhorn Lake?
- Powderhorn Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Illinois's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Powderhorn Lake across LakeQuality
Planning a trip around Indiana Dunes?
Powderhorn Lake is about 22 miles from Indiana Dunes National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Indiana Dunes →More lakes in Illinois
Other Lakes in Illinois
Mesotrophic Lakes in Illinois
Where this data comes from
52 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX52 samples · 2021
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory