Clare County Lake Quality
Michigan, 7 lakes, average grade A (Excellent)
Only 7 lakes in Clare County carry an active grade. The county-level summary is therefore representative of those specific lakes, not necessarily of every water body in the county. The county's average grade is A — among the cleanest in Michigan. 1 lakes pull an A on their own, and almost none fall into the D or F brackets.
Most of the county's monitored lakes are shallow — under 50 feet — which means wind keeps the water column mixed all summer and sediment-bound phosphorus releases back into the surface layer whenever the bottom is disturbed. Lake George (A) is the cleanest in the county.
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Quick Answers for Clare County
Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Lake George, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or check the official Michigan fishing regulations.
Fishing in Clare County
All Lakes in Clare County
7 lakes · 1 graded, 6 not rated1 graded lake · 6 not rated, hidden
| # | Lake | Grade | Clarity | Phosphorus | Algae | Trophic | Max Depth | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALake GeorgeClare | A | 9.5 ft | 12 µg/L | 3.8 µg/L | No recent samples | 25 ft | Not recorded |
| NRArnold LakeClare | NR | 17 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 80 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRWindover LakeClare | NR | 15.3 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 60 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRShingle LakeClare | NR | 10.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 40 ft | Not recorded | |
| NRLily LakeClare | NR | 8 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 8 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRBudd LakeClare | NR | 13.5 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | 30 ft | ✓ Public | |
| NRElbow LakeClare | NR | 11 ft | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | No recent samples | Not recorded |
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
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Other Counties in Michigan
See how Clare 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.