Bills Lake
Newaygo County, Michigan198 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Bills Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 90 ft max depth
Bills Lake in Newaygo County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 90 ft. Surface area: 197.8 acres.
Bills Lake is a 198-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Newaygo County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 90 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 8 other monitored lakes in Newaygo County, Bills Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Bills Lake covers about 200 acres in Newaygo County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Bills Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Bills Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13 ft of visibility
- Deep water90 ft surveyed max depth
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. Bills Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bills 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 Bills Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Bills Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.9 µg/L. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13ft | 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) | 1.9µg/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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Bills Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
90 ft
Surface area
198 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bills Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bills Lake in Newaygo 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 Bills Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 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 →
Follow Bills Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Bills Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.5 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.04 µg/L/yr7 years
EPA Impairment Status
Bills Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040500060401-03 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Newaygo County
Frequently asked questions about Bills Lake
Where is Bills Lake?
- Bills Lake is a lake in Newaygo County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bills Lake?
- Bills Lake in Newaygo County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 90 ft. Surface area: 197.8 acres.
Is Bills Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bills Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bills Lake?
- Bills Lake has a maximum depth of 90 feet. The lake covers 197.8 acres.
Explore Bills Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Michigan
Fish species and best lakes in Newaygo County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Michigan's top lakes, each with its readings
Michigan's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Michigan
Other Lakes in Michigan
Oligotrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
143 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_MICORPS143 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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database