Cedar Lake
Van Buren County, Michigan275 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Cedar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 84 ft max depth
- Limited data
Cedar Lake in Van Buren County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 84 ft. Surface area: 275.1 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Cedar Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 84 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Cedar Lake is a 275-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Van Buren County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 84 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 5 other monitored lakes in Van Buren County, Cedar Lake ranks #2 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cedar Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14 ft of visibility
- Deep water84 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Cedar 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 Cedar Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Cedar 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. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2 µg/L. TSI 38.
| 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 | 10µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2µg/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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Cedar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
84 ft
Surface area
275 acres
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Fishing Cedar Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.35 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.15 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Van Buren County
Frequently asked questions about Cedar Lake
Where is Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake is a lake in Van Buren County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake in Van Buren County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 84 ft. Surface area: 275.1 acres.
Is Cedar Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cedar Lake?
- Cedar Lake has a maximum depth of 84 feet. The lake covers 275.1 acres.
Explore Cedar Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
41 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_MICORPS41 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.