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Bruin Lake

Washtenaw County, Michigan130 acresView mapDirections

EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Bruin Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
11.5 ft
Typical for Michigan
Secchi · sampled 2016
Max depth
48 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
130 acres
Surface area
  • Impaired · PFAS
  • 48 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Bruin Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 48 ft. Surface area: 129.7 acres.

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Bruin Lake is a 130-acre lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 48 feet. The lake supports 1 documented fish species including Lake herring. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2016-09-11. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Bruin Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water11.5 ft of visibility
  • Boat launch1 documented ramp
  • Deep water48 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bruin Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pFAS. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Bruin 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.

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Water quality measurements for Bruin Lake

These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Bruin 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 11.5 ft. TSI 42.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)11.5ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo 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.42Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Bruin Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Max depth

48 ft

Surface area

130 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by EGLE

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
  • Bruin LakePublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Bruin Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bruin Lake in Washtenaw 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.

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Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Bruin Lake

EPA Impairment Status

Bruin Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).

Causes of impairment

PFAS

Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040900050306-09 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Washtenaw County

Frequently asked questions about Bruin Lake

Where is Bruin Lake?

Bruin Lake is a lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Bruin Lake?

Bruin Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 48 ft. Surface area: 129.7 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Bruin Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Bruin Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for pFAS. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Bruin Lake?

Bruin Lake has a maximum depth of 48 feet. The lake covers 129.7 acres.

What fish are in Bruin Lake?

Fish species found in Bruin Lake include Lake herring. Bruin Lake is located in Washtenaw County, Michigan.

Fish on this page ↑

Are there boat ramps on Bruin Lake?

Bruin Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bruin Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at Bruin Lake?

Bruin 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.

Access on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.

Collected and reported by

  • North American Lake Management SocietyNALMS7 samples · 2016
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

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory