Newest reservoirs in Central Illinois
The year that a reservoir was first filled to the reservoir’s normal elevation – or the year that a natural lake was first dammed – is the determining factor in the age of the body of water. A large reservoir can take more than a year to fill after its dam is first closed. You can find many of the the world’s newest reservoirs on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Many of the world’s oldest reservoirs appear on the last page of that list. Note: For some lakes, the completion year data is unknown, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 15 articles we have published for Central Illinois lakes.Thinking about booking a Central Illinois lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Illinois > Central Illinois > Compared by newest (youngest) reservoirs and the year it was completed. This list does not represent all lakes in Central Illinois, only the 15 Central Illinois lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name ![]() |
Completion year ![]() |
Lake description |
---|---|---|
Evergreen Lake (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1995 | Also known as Evergreen Reservoir One of Central Illinois’ best-kept secret lies just north of Bloomington: Evergreen Lake. When the growing city needed additional water supply in 1971… |
Lake Glenn Shoals, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1978 | Also known as Glenn Shoals Lake Lake Glenn Shoals, also known as Glenn Shoals Lake, is located near Hillsboro, Illinois. The City of Hillsboro built the lake for flood control and wa… |
Clinton Lake, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1978 | Also known as Clinton Reservoir Travel to central Illinois and you’ll find Clinton Lake, a 4,900 acre lake just 3 miles east of Clinton. Though the lake was originally built as a coo… |
Lake Shelbyville, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1971 | Also known as Shelbyville Lake, Shelbyville Reservoir Seventeen miles and thousands of acres of water stretch out in front of power boaters leaving the dam at Lake Shelbyville. In addition to its wide exp… |
Lake Iroquois, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1968 | Also known as Iroquois Lake Three little boys scramble out of the fishing boat while their nervous father says a silent prayer that the boat won’t tip over. It is a ritual they h… |
Lake Wildwood IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1967 | Build it and they will come’ is the true story behind Lake Wildwood in Central Illinois. As the population grew in the 1960s and 1970s, developers fou… |
Lake Lou Yaeger (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1966 | Also known as Lake Lou, Lou Yaeger Reservoir One of the hidden gems in the central Illinois heartland, Lake Lou Yaeger provides over 1200 acres of recreational enjoyment to residents and visitors… |
Lake Petersburg, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1963 | Also known as Petersburg Lake, Petersburg Reservoir Something in human nature seems to require a water body to feel complete: Lake Petersburg fills that need. The people of Petersburg on the border betw… |
Lake Mattoon, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1958 | Surrounded by farmlands in the Central region of Illinois is Lake Mattoon. A quiet and tranquil retreat for many Illinoisans and out-of-towners, the l… |
Lake Sara, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1957 | Also known as Sara Reservoir Lake Sara – a refreshing oasis in central Illinois! What does a community like Effingham Illinois do when they run out of water? They build a reservoi… |
Lake Carlinville, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1939 | Also known as Carlinville Lake, Lake 1 and Lake 2 Located in the Central region of Illinois, Lake Carlinville (also known as Carlinville Lake) is a 355-acre lake used for drinking water and recreation… |