Newaygo County Lake Quality
Michigan, 13 lakes, average grade A (Excellent)
Newaygo County has 13 graded lakes — a thin enough sample that one or two stressed lakes can move the county average noticeably. Use the per-lake pages below for what actually matters. On average, Newaygo County lakes grade an A. That puts it near the top of the Michigan county ranking.
A meaningful share of Newaygo's lakes break 50 feet of depth, which matters because deep lakes hold cooler water all summer and resist the resuspended-sediment problems that plague shallow basins. The county's best-graded lake is Bills Lake (A).
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Quick Answers for Newaygo County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Bills Lake — or check the official Michigan fishing regulations.
Fishing in Newaygo County
All Lakes in Newaygo County
13 lakes · 1 graded, 12 not rated1 graded lake · 12 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Max Depth | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ABills LakeNewaygo | A | 13 ft | 8 µg/L | 1.9 µg/L | No recent samples | 90 ft | Not recorded |
| NREmerald LakeNewaygo | NR | 13.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 49 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRSylvan LakeNewaygo | NR | 16 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 63 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRFremont LakeNewaygo | NR | 10.3 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 88 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRBrush LakeNewaygo | NR | 15 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 35 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRHighbank LakeNewaygo | NR | 14.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 35 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRDiamond LakeNewaygo | NR | 12.3 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 25 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRPickerel LakeNewaygo | NR | 10.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 73 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRKimball LakeNewaygo | NR | 4.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 40 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRPettibone LakeNewaygo | NR | 11.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 40 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRNichols LakeNewaygo | NR | 14.7 ft | 7 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public | |
| NRWebinguaw LakeNewaygo | NR | 2.5 ft | 73 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | 13 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRBrooks LakeNewaygo | NR | No recent samples | 24 µg/L | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | ✓ Public |
NR = not rated: there is not enough recent sampling to support a letter. That is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 (insufficient information), not a failing grade. How grading works.
Lake Match
Which lake suits how you actually use one?
Six questions — swimming, fishing, quiet, cabins, drive time — and a shortlist of graded lakes that fit, with the water quality behind each one.
Other Counties in Michigan
See how Newaygo County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all 49 states and 2 Canadian provinces.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.