Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water

Newaygo County Lake Quality

Michigan, 59 lakes, average grade A (Excellent)

Newaygo County in Michigan carries 59 monitored lakes — one of the lake-richer counties in our dataset. Coverage that dense usually reflects active lake-association sampling alongside state-agency monitoring. 1 of those lake carry an A–F grade. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. On average, Newaygo 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. Bills Lake (A) is the cleanest in the county.

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Quick Answers for Newaygo County

Cleanest lakes in Newaygo County →Cleanest lakes in Michigan →Safest swimming lakes in Michigan →

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Bills Lake — or check the official Michigan fishing regulations.

Fishing in Newaygo County

Newaygo County Fishing Guide

Fish species and best-graded lakes in Newaygo County

All Lakes in Newaygo County

59 lakes · 1 graded, 58 not rated1 graded lake · 58 not rated, hidden

Include not-rated lakes (58)

#	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	✓ Public
	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	✓ Public
	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
	NRLilley LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	36 ft	Not recorded
	NRWalkup LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	50 ft	Not recorded
	NRNichols LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	50 ft	✓ Public
	NRIsland LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	18 ft	Not recorded
	NRWoodland LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	51 ft	Not recorded
	NRHardy Dam PondNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	110 ft	✓ Public
	NRRobinson LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	30 ft	✓ Public
	NRCrystal LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	61 ft	Not recorded
	NRPeck LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	22 ft	Not recorded
	NRRyerson LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	38 ft	Not recorded
	NRCroton Dam PondNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	40 ft	✓ Public
	NRNewaygoNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRPettit LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	36 ft	Not recorded
	NRBrooks LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	20 ft	✓ Public
	NRHess LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	20 ft	✓ Public
	NRConover LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	51 ft	Not recorded
	NRBaptist LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	65 ft	Not recorded
	NRSand LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	15 ft	Not recorded
	NREnglewright LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	60 ft	✓ Public
	NRRansom LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRBlanch LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRFord LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRKemperman LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRTwinwood LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRCroton Dam PondNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRLake White CloudNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRBlacksmith LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRPeterson LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRMinnie LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRClarks LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRThird LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRSecond LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRFourth LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRMartin LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRBenton LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRIndian LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NREast LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRAmaung LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRLamoreaux LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRBitely LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRMiddle LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRTurnbull LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRHungerford LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	✓ Public
	NRPickerel LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRSisson LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	No recent samples	Not recorded
	NRHouseman LakeNewaygo	NR	No recent samples	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.

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Other Counties in Michigan

Dickinson County

43 lakes · Avg grade A

Clare County

47 lakes · Avg grade A

Ogemaw County

50 lakes · Avg grade A

Cheboygan County

31 lakes · Avg grade A

Roscommon County

26 lakes · Avg grade A

Gladwin County

29 lakes · Avg grade A

See how Newaygo County stacks up in the national county water-quality rankings, or browse the full directory of graded lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.