Valley Lake
Lake County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Valley Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Noxious aquatic plants
- Limited data
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Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Valley Lake in Lake County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 50.7 µg/L.
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Stays near Valley Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Valley Lake in Lake 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 Valley Lake are listed below.
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Valley Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Lake County, Illinois. Compared to the 18 other monitored lakes in Lake County, Valley Lake ranks #17 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2020-09-23. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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. Valley Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for noxious aquatic plants, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Valley 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 Valley Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Valley Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Chlorophyll-a 50.7 µg/L. TSI 69.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 50.7 µg/L | Poor |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 69 | Hypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Fishing Valley Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Valley Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_RGZM · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Lake County
Frequently asked questions about Valley Lake
Where is Valley Lake?
- Valley Lake is a lake in Lake County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Valley Lake?
- Valley Lake in Lake County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 50.7 µg/L.
Is Valley Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Valley Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for noxious aquatic plants, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Valley Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX8 samples · 2020
Analytical methods
- 10200 H 2 ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination by spectrophotometer
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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