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

Otsego County Lake Quality

Michigan, 52 lakes, measured by EGLE

Otsego County has 52 monitored lakes, enough that within-county variation matters as much as the county average. Some are deep glacial basins, others are shallow agricultural-watershed waters, and the measurements reflect that mix. 2 of those lakes carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. Taken together, the monitored lakes of Otsego County sit near the low-nutrient end of the Michigan range.

The county's lakes lean shallow, which makes the readings sensitive to wind, sediment-resuspension, and any nutrient inputs from the watershed. The cleanest measured lake is Perch Lake.

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Quick Answers for Otsego County

Cleanest lakes in Otsego County →Cleanest lakes in Michigan →Best swimming lakes in Michigan →

Planning a trip? Check special fishing regulations for Perch Lake, whether the fish are safe to eat, and the best times to fish — or check the official Michigan fishing regulations.

Fishing in Otsego County

Otsego County Fishing Guide

Fish species and the cleanest lakes in Otsego County

All Lakes in Otsego County

52 lakes · 2 ranked on readings, 50 without enough sampling2 lakes ranked on readings · 50 without enough sampling, hidden

#LakeClarityPhosphorusAlgaeTrophicMax DepthAccess
1Perch LakeOtsego11.3 ft8.5 µg/L3.3 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samples✓ Public
2Town Line Lake (AkaOtsego18 ft10 µg/LNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Opal LakeOtsego15.5 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples40 ft✓ Public
Big Bradford LakeOtsego22 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples✓ Public
Viking LakeOtsego6.8 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples25 ft✓ Public
Town Line LakeOtsego18 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples44 ft✓ Public
Big Bear LakeOtsego15.5 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples36 ft✓ Public
O'Rourke LakeOtsego15.5 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples✓ Public
Douglas LakeOtsego16.5 ftNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples36 ftNot recorded
Lake TwentysevenOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples20 ft✓ Public
Five LakesOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples7 ftNot recorded
Big LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples80 ft✓ Public
Dixon LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples25 ft✓ Public
Otsego LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples20 ft✓ Public
Lewis LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples35 ftNot recorded
Lake WequosOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples28 ftNot recorded
Lake ManukaOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples20 ft✓ Public
Buhl LakesOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples29 ftNot recorded
Turtle LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples30 ftNot recorded
Emerald LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples30 ft✓ Public
Little Bear LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples65 ftNot recorded
Lake HoriconOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples47 ftNot recorded
Big Bass LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples30 ftNot recorded
Lake TeconOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples43 ftNot recorded
Big Chub LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples54 ftNot recorded
Bridge LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples56 ftNot recorded
Heart LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples110 ft✓ Public
Lynn LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples41 ftNot recorded
Crapo LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples31 ftNot recorded
Guthrie LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples80 ft✓ Public
Section One LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples20 ftNot recorded
Woodin LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Pickerel LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples30 ft✓ Public
Grass LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Lansing Club PondOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Traverse LakesOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Swede LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Gee LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples15 ftNot recorded
Caulkins LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Seventh Spectacle LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Lake TeconOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Lake MarjoryOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples70 ftNot recorded
Belmore LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Bridge LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples56.1 ftNot recorded
Lower Chub LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Grass LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Clear LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Johannesburg LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Five LakesOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samples6.6 ftNot recorded
Martin LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
West LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded
Pencil LakeOtsegoNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNo recent samplesNot recorded

NR = no nutrient or algae reading on record. The measurements are published as the authority reports them. Where the data comes from.

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Browse every Michigan lake, or the full directory of lakes across all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs..

Source: the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). See data sources.