Big Blue Lake
Kalkaska County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Blue Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
Big Blue Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 24 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.3 µg/L.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Big Blue Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 80 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Big Blue Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 17 documented fish species including Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, and Bluntnose minnow. Compared to the 12 other monitored lakes in Kalkaska County, Big Blue Lake ranks #7 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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What Big Blue Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water24 ft of visibility
- Fishing17 species recorded
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 Big Blue 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 Big Blue Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Big Blue Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 24 ft down. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.3 µg/L. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 24ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.3µg/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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Big Blue Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Stays near Big Blue Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Big Blue Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.36 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.03 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Big Blue Lake
Where is Big Blue Lake?
- Big Blue Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Blue Lake?
- Big Blue Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 24 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.3 µg/L.
Is Big Blue Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What fish are in Big Blue Lake?
- Fish species found in Big Blue Lake include Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, Bluntnose minnow, Common shiner, Finescale dace, Golden shiner, Iowa darter, Lake herring, Mimic shiner, Northern pearl dace, Northern redbelly dace, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow trout, Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, White sucker, Yellow perch. Big Blue Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
Explore Big Blue Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
104 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_MICORPS104 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.