Barton Lake
Kalamazoo County, Michigan335 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Barton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 18 ft max depth
Barton Lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.6 µg/L. Surface area: 335.3 acres.
Barton Lake is a 335-acre mesotrophic lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 18 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 6 other monitored lakes in Kalamazoo County, Barton Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Barton Lake covers about 340 acres in Kalamazoo County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Barton Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Barton Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Barton Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Barton Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft. Phosphorus 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 6.6 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 6.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Barton Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Barton Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 62°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 63°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (63°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 488 field readings (2016–2019) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Barton Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~18 ft est.
Surface area
335 acres
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
Watershed (drainage) area
81 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
827 ft
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.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Barton Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Barton Lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Barton Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Michigan’s top lakes →
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Fishing Barton Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Stable7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.2 µg/L/yr7 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Barton Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Vicksburg MS4-KalamazooVicksburg · 1.6 mi away · NPDES MI0060183Recent violation
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.
Nearby Lakes in Kalamazoo County
Frequently asked questions about Barton Lake
Where is Barton Lake?
- Barton Lake is a lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Barton Lake?
- Barton Lake in Kalamazoo County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 6.6 µg/L. Surface area: 335.3 acres.
Is Barton Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Barton Lake?
- Barton Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in September, from 488 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2019). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
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 18 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.
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Where this data comes from
167 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS167 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)