Kalkaska County Lake Quality

Kalkaska County's 24 graded lakes fall in the moderate-density bracket for Michigan. The county-level average smooths over real differences — a single agricultural watershed near the southwest corner can pull the average down even if the rest of the county runs clean. On average, Kalkaska County lakes grade an A. That puts it near the top of the Michigan county ranking.

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. Squaw Lake (A) is the cleanest in the county.