Vermont City Lake
McDonough County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Vermont City Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- 32 ft max depth
- Limited data
Vermont City Lake in McDonough County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 130.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 45.8 µg/L.
Vermont City Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in McDonough County, Illinois with an estimated average depth of about 32 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2021-10-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Vermont City 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 Vermont City Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Vermont City 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. Phosphorus 130.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 45.8 µg/L. TSI 71.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 131µg/L | Poor GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 45.8µg/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. | 71 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Vermont City Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Vermont City Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 85°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 (85°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 60 field readings (2011–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Vermont City Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~32 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Illinois has not published bathymetry for Vermont City Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
35 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
620 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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Vermont City Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Vermont City Lake in McDonough 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 Vermont City Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Vermont City 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 whole trip? See where to stay at Illinois’s top lakes →
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Fishing Vermont City Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Vermont City Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Vermont City Reservoir Dam (completed 1940), built primarily for recreation on the TRIB SUGAR CREEK; earth-type dam, 36 ft tall and 500 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 331 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 704 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Significant
- Owner
- VILLAGE OF VERMONT
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL00272 · Operator website
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Vermont City Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Vermont Sd StpVermont · 2.6 mi away · NPDES IL0049654Recent 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 McDonough County
Frequently asked questions about Vermont City Lake
Where is Vermont City Lake?
- Vermont City Lake is a lake in McDonough County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Vermont City Lake?
- Vermont City Lake in McDonough County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 130.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 45.8 µg/L.
Is Vermont City 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 Vermont City Lake?
- Vermont City Lake typically sits around 60°F at the surface in October, from 60 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Vermont City Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Vermont City Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 32 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
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Where this data comes from
25 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- illinois epa
IL_EPA_WQX25 samples · 2021
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)