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LakeQuality

Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township vs Wakeley Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Wakeley Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Crawford County, Wisconsin.

Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township and Wakeley Lake 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. Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township (B) is materially cleaner than Wakeley Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.

For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?

Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft.

D

Wakeley Lake

Crawford County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricWakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling TownshipWakeley Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)D (Poor)
Water Clarity6.5 ft6.5 ft
PhosphorusNo dataNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)2.6 µg/LNo data
Maximum Depth--
Surface Area149 acres149 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species1010
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Wakeley Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 6.5 ft vs 6.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Wakeley Lake; Central Basin; Grayling Township also leads with 10 species.