Big Twin Lake
Kalkaska County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Twin Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
Big Twin Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 23 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L.
Big Twin Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including Bluntnose minnow, Brown bullhead, and Common shiner. Compared to the 12 other monitored lakes in Kalkaska County, Big Twin Lake ranks #11 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Big Twin Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water23 ft of visibility
- Fishing9 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 Twin 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 Twin Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Big Twin 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 23 ft down. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.6 µg/L. TSI 34.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 23ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.6µg/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. | 34 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Big Twin Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Big Twin Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.32 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.17 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Big Twin Lake
Where is Big Twin Lake?
- Big Twin 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 Twin Lake?
- Big Twin Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 23 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L.
Is Big Twin 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 Twin Lake?
- Fish species found in Big Twin Lake include Bluntnose minnow, Brown bullhead, Common shiner, Lake herring, Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, Western banded killifish, White sucker, Yellow perch. Big Twin Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
Explore Big Twin Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
140 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_MICORPS140 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.