Wayne City Lake
Wayne County, IllinoisView mapDirections
Illinois EPA publishes the water-quality measurements for Wayne City Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- Impaired · Cause unknown
- Limited data
Wayne City Lake in Wayne County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.5 µg/L.
Wayne City Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Wayne County, Illinois. Compared to the 2 other monitored lakes in Wayne County, Wayne City Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Illinois EPA, last sampled 2021-11-08. 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. Wayne City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for cause unknown, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Wayne 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 Wayne City Lake
These are the measurements Illinois EPA publishes for Wayne City 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 2.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 19.5 µg/L. TSI 62.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 53µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 19.5µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 62 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Wayne City Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Wayne City Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 81°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 83°F) and coldest in Nov (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 (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 104 field readings (2011–2021) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Wayne City Lake water temperature breakdown →
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Stays near Wayne City Lake
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Fishing Wayne City Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Wayne City Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Wayne City Perched Reservoir Dam (completed 1983), built primarily for water supply on the SKILLET FORK-OFFSTREAM; earth-type dam, 22 ft tall and 3,050 ft long.
- Normal storage
- 167 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 201 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- VILLAGE OF WAYNE CITY
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID IL50018 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.05 km)
EPA Impairment Status
Wayne City 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_RCT · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Wayne County
Frequently asked questions about Wayne City Lake
Where is Wayne City Lake?
- Wayne City Lake is a lake in Wayne County, Illinois. Its water-quality measurements are published by Illinois EPA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Wayne City Lake?
- Wayne City Lake in Wayne County, Illinois has water-quality measurements published by Illinois EPA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 53 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.5 µg/L.
Is Wayne City Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Wayne City Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for cause unknown, nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Wayne City Lake?
- Wayne City Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in October, from 104 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2011–2021). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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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
- MEASURED IN FIELD
- 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database