Raccoon Lake
Marion County, Illinois730 acresView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Raccoon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 56 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Raccoon Lake in Marion County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 285 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 73.5 µg/L. Surface area: 730 acres.
Raccoon Lake is a 730-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Marion County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 56 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Marion County, Raccoon Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2021-11-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Raccoon Lake covers about 730 acres in Marion County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Raccoon Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Raccoon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- 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. Raccoon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pesticides, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Raccoon 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 Raccoon Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Raccoon Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 285 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 73.5 µg/L. TSI 78.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 285µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 73.5µg/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. | 78 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Raccoon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Raccoon Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°F) and coldest in Nov (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 53 field readings (2011–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Raccoon Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~56 ft est.
Surface area
730 acres
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 Raccoon Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
49 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
6.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
486 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
- Raccoon 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 Raccoon Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Raccoon Lake in Marion 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 Raccoon Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Raccoon 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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Raccoon Lake → · more Illinois lake trips
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Fishing Raccoon Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Raccoon Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Raccoon Lake Dam (completed 1943), built primarily for water supply on the RACCON CREEK; earth-type dam, 29 ft tall and 1,480 ft long.
- Surface area
- 730 ac
- Normal storage
- 4,709 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 6,700 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 48.5 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF CENTRALIA
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL00242 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Raccoon 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: Drinking water, Fish consumption, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_ROK · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
5 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Raccoon Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Centralia Stp, City OfCentralia · 4.9 mi away · NPDES IL0027979MajorRecent violation
- Sandoval Stp, Village OfSandoval · 4.4 mi away · NPDES IL0030961Recent violation
- Illinois Central Railroad - Centralia YardCentralia · 4.4 mi away · NPDES IL0000779Recent violation
- Centralia Wtp, City OfCentralia · 2.4 mi away · NPDES IL0001252
- United Parcel Service - CentraliaCentralia · 3.5 mi away · NPDES IL0071242
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 Marion County
Frequently asked questions about Raccoon Lake
Where is Raccoon Lake?
- Raccoon Lake is a lake in Marion County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Raccoon Lake?
- Raccoon Lake in Marion County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 285 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 73.5 µg/L. Surface area: 730 acres.
Is Raccoon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Raccoon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), pesticides, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Raccoon Lake?
- Raccoon Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in October, from 53 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Raccoon Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Raccoon Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 56 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 730 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Raccoon Lake?
- Raccoon Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Raccoon Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Raccoon Lake?
- Raccoon 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 Raccoon Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Illinois's top lakes, each with its readings
Illinois's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Where this data comes from
57 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_WQX57 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