Vandalia Lake
Fayette County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Vandalia Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 55 ft max depth
- Public access
Vandalia Lake in Fayette County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 103.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 84.4 µg/L.
Vandalia Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Fayette County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 55 feet. Phosphorus level is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2022-10-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Vandalia Lake has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Vandalia Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Vandalia Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
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. Vandalia Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Vandalia 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 Vandalia Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Vandalia 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 1.3 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 103.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 84.4 µg/L. TSI 73.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 104µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 84.4µg/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. | 73 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Vandalia Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Vandalia Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 76°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 78°F) and coldest in Nov (about 53°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (53°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 218 field readings (2010–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Vandalia Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~55 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 Vandalia Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
25 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
608 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
13.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
525 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
- Vandalia LakePublic
- Vandalia 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 Vandalia Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Vandalia Lake in Fayette 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 Vandalia Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Vandalia 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 Vandalia Lake → · more Illinois lake trips
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Fishing Vandalia Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+28.75 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-23.05 µg/L/yr2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Vandalia 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, Other.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit IL_ROD · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
5 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Vandalia Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Vandalia StpVandalia · 3.8 mi away · NPDES IL0023574MajorRecent violation
- Danny George Private Sewage Disposal SystemVandalia · 0.1 mi away · NPDES IL0080180
- David Irwin Private Sewage Disposal SystemVandalia · 0.2 mi away · NPDES IL0080309
- Leskera Residence Private Sewage Disposal SystemVandalia · 0.3 mi away · NPDES IL0080294
- Vandalia Wtp, City OfVandalia · 4.1 mi away · NPDES IL0036897
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 Fayette County
Frequently asked questions about Vandalia Lake
Where is Vandalia Lake?
- Vandalia Lake is a lake in Fayette County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Vandalia Lake?
- Vandalia Lake in Fayette County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 103.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 84.4 µg/L.
Is Vandalia Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Vandalia Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), turbidity. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Vandalia Lake?
- Vandalia Lake typically sits around 62°F at the surface in October, from 218 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Vandalia Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Vandalia Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 55 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 Vandalia Lake?
- Vandalia Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Vandalia Lake, Vandalia Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Vandalia Lake?
- Vandalia Lake has 2 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 Vandalia Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
93 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX93 samples · 2020–2022
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
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