Tampier Lake
Cook County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Tampier Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Tampier Lake in Cook County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.7 µg/L.
Tampier Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Cook County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 31 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, Tampier Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2023-04-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Tampier Lake has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Tampier Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Tampier 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. Tampier Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Tampier 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 Tampier Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Tampier 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 1.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 29.7 µg/L. TSI 67.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 83µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 29.7µg/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. | 67 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Tampier Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Tampier Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 79°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 81°F) and coldest in Apr (about 52°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (52°F) to its warmest (81°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 114 field readings (2010–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Tampier Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 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 Tampier Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
146 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
692 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
- Lake TampierPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Tampier Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Tampier 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Tampier Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Tampier 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 Tampier Lake → · more Illinois lake trips
Follow Tampier Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Tampier Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Tampier Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Tampier Lake Dam (completed 1964), built primarily for recreation on the TRIB LONG RUN CREEK; gravity-type dam, 9 ft tall and 240 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 668 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 859 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- FOREST PRESERVE DISTRICT OF COOK COUNTY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL00866 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Tampier 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: Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_RGZO · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Tampier Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- 222 South Riverside PlazaChicago · 1.4 mi away · NPDES IL0005169Recent violation
- Andrew CorporationOrland Park · 2.9 mi away · NPDES IL0004952
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 Tampier Lake
Where is Tampier Lake?
- Tampier 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 Tampier Lake?
- Tampier Lake in Cook County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 83 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 29.7 µg/L.
Is Tampier Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Tampier Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Tampier Lake?
- Tampier Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in October, from 114 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Tampier Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Tampier Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 Tampier Lake?
- Tampier Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Lake Tampier. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Tampier Lake?
- Tampier 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 Tampier Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Illinois
Other Lakes in Illinois
Eutrophic Lakes in Illinois
Where this data comes from
49 measurements from 4 monitoring stations, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX48 samples · 2021 - USGS Illinois Water Science Center
USGS-IL1 sample · 2023
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- MEASURED IN FIELD
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (4)
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