Cass Lake South Central Basin; W. Bloomfield Township Section 3 vs Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Cass Lake South Central Basin; W. Bloomfield Township Section 3 and Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Oakland County, Michigan.
Cass Lake South Central Basin; W. Bloomfield Township Section 3 and Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 are both in Michigan — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Cass Lake South Central Basin; W. Bloomfield Township Section 3 (A) versus Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Cass Lake South Central Basin; W. Bloomfield Township Section 3
Good clarity, visible to about 12 ft.
Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cass Lake South Central Basin; W. Bloomfield Township Section 3 | Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 12 ft | 13 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | 1.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 850 acres | 470 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Cass Lake South Central Basin; W. Bloomfield Township Section 3: 12 ft, Lake Orion East Central Basin; Orion Township Section 11: 13 ft) and what you want from the lake. Cass Lake South Central Basin; W. Bloomfield Township Section 3 matches its peer on species count.