Carter Lake
Barry County, Michigan60 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Carter Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 20 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Carter Lake in Barry County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 59.7 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Carter Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 20 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Carter Lake is a 60-acre lake in Barry County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 20 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including Black crappie, Bluegill, and Brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Carter Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing10 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Carter 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 Carter Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Carter Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft. TSI 57.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4ft | 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. | 57 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Carter Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
20 ft
Surface area
60 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Carter LakePublic
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 Carter Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Carter Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
6 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Carter Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 3 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Hastings Sanitary ServiceHastings · 0.9 mi away · NPDES MI0050199Recent violation
- Hastings WwtpHastings · 1.5 mi away · NPDES MI0020575Recent violation
- Tubergen Dairy Farm South-CafoHastings · 3.8 mi away · NPDES MI0060342Recent violation
- Hastings Manufacturing CompanyHastings · 1.9 mi away · NPDES MIG250433
- Bliss Clearing NiagaraHastings · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MI0003646
- R & J #4-Citgo Gas StationHastings · 3.2 mi away · NPDES MIG081046
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Barry County
Frequently asked questions about Carter Lake
Where is Carter Lake?
- Carter Lake is a lake in Barry County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Carter Lake?
- Carter Lake in Barry County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 59.7 acres.
Is Carter Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Carter Lake?
- Carter Lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet. The lake covers 59.7 acres.
What fish are in Carter Lake?
- Fish species found in Carter Lake include Black crappie, Bluegill, Brown bullhead, Lake chubsucker, Largemouth bass, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Warmouth, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch. Carter Lake is located in Barry County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Carter Lake?
- Carter Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Carter Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Carter Lake?
- Carter 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 Carter Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS12 samples · 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory