Barton Lake
Kalamazoo County, Michigan335 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 44 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Barton Lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Surface area: 335.3 acres.
- Clarity
- 8 ft
- Max depth
- ~44 ft est.
- Area
- 335 acres
- Trend
- → Stable
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Barton Lake’s letter
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Why Barton Lake has no grade
Barton Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Barton Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 8-foot median from 107 readings collected 2016–2023 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by EGLE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Barton Lake is a 335-acre lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 44 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-06-21. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Barton Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Barton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Barton Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. TSI 47.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 8 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 47 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~44 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~11 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 335 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Barton Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Barton LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Barton Lake
Water Quality Trend: → Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | → Stable | -0.027 m/yr | 7 |
EPA Impairment Status
Barton Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040500010503-02 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
2 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Barton Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits.
- Mdeq-Rrd-Arco Ind CorpSchoolcraft · 3.1 mi away · NPDES MI0048551
- J Rettenmaier Usa LpSchoolcraft · 4 mi away · NPDES MI0056791
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Graded lakes near Barton Lake
Barton Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Kalamazoo County
Frequently asked questions about Barton Lake
Where is Barton Lake?
- Barton Lake is a lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Barton Lake?
- Barton Lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Surface area: 335.3 acres.
Is Barton Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Barton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Barton Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Barton Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 44 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 335.3 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Barton Lake?
- Barton Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Barton Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
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Where this data comes from
107 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS107 samples · 2016–2023
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory