Sara Lake
Effingham County, Illinois586 acresView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Sara Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 54 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sara Lake in Effingham County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 59.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 33.9 µg/L. Surface area: 586 acres.
Sara Lake is a 586-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Effingham County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 54 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 3 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2022-10-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Sara Lake covers about 590 acres in Effingham County. It has 3 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Sara Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Sara Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch3 documented ramps
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 Sara 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 Sara Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Sara 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 2.2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 59.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 33.9 µg/L. TSI 65.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 59.5µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 33.9µg/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. | 65 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Sara Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Sara Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 70°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 72°F) and coldest in Apr (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (56°F) to its warmest (72°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 261 field readings (2011–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Sara Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~54 ft est.
Surface area
586 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 Sara Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
16 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
12.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
591 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
- Bluegill MarinaPublic
- Lake SaraPublic
- Lake SaraPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sara Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sara Lake in Effingham 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 Sara Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Sara 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 Sara Lake → · more Illinois lake trips
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Fishing Sara Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Sara Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Lake Sara Dam (completed 1957), built primarily for recreation on the BLUE POINT CREEK; earth-type dam, 65 ft tall and 1,625 ft long.
- Surface area
- 586 ac
- Normal storage
- 11,720 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 20,392 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 12.3 sq mi
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- EFFINGHAM WATER AUTHORITY
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL00607 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
10 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Sara Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 8 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Lee Kaufman Private Sewage Disposal SystemEffingham · 0.3 mi away · NPDES IL0080277Recent violation
- Debra Holschbach Private Sewage Disposal SystemEffingham · 0.4 mi away · NPDES IL0080276Recent violation
- Austin J And Megan C Parr Private Sewage Disposal SystemEffingham · 0.4 mi away · NPDES IL0080264Recent violation
- Tony Stevens Private Sewage Disposal SystemEffingham · 0.5 mi away · NPDES IL0080267Recent violation
- Cole Koester Private Sewage Disposal SystemEffingham · 0.9 mi away · NPDES IL0080281Recent violation
- Lake Sara Car WashEffingham · 2.1 mi away · NPDES IL0075922Recent violation
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 Effingham County
Frequently asked questions about Sara Lake
Where is Sara Lake?
- Sara Lake is a lake in Effingham County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sara Lake?
- Sara Lake in Effingham County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 59.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 33.9 µg/L. Surface area: 586 acres.
Is Sara 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 Sara Lake?
- Sara Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in October, from 261 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Sara Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Sara Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 54 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 586 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Sara Lake?
- Sara Lake has 3 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bluegill Marina, Lake Sara, Lake Sara. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sara Lake?
- Sara Lake has 3 documented boat landings 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 Sara 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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Other Lakes in Illinois
Hypereutrophic Lakes in Illinois
Compare Sara Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
48 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX48 samples · 2022
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)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory