Roscommon County Lake Quality

There are 26 monitored lakes in Roscommon County. The mix is varied enough that the county-level average tells you the broad strokes, not the choose-this-cabin specifics. 1 of those lake carry recent nutrient and algae readings. The county-level summary describes that subset, not every water body listed. On average, Roscommon County lakes carry some of the lowest phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings in Michigan, with clear summer transparency across most monitored basins.

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. Houghton Lake has the lowest nutrient and algae readings in the county.