Birch Lake
Cass County, Michigan282 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Birch Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 80 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Birch Lake in Cass County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 80 ft. Surface area: 281.7 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Birch Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 80 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Birch Lake is a 282-acre lake in Cass County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 80 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including Lake herring and Ninespine stickleback. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-23. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Birch Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Deep water80 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Birch 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 Birch Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Birch 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 14 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Birch Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
80 ft
Surface area
282 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Henry Sears ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Birch Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Birch Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.13 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.16 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Birch Lake
Where is Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake is a lake in Cass County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake in Cass County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 80 ft. Surface area: 281.7 acres.
Is Birch Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake has a maximum depth of 80 feet. The lake covers 281.7 acres.
What fish are in Birch Lake?
- Fish species found in Birch Lake include Lake herring, Ninespine stickleback. Birch Lake is located in Cass County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Henry Sears Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Birch Lake?
- Birch Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Michigan's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Birch Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
78 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS78 samples · 2016–2022
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory