Chain Lakes
Iosco County, Michigan85 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Chain Lakes. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
Chain Lakes in Iosco County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.4 µg/L. Surface area: 84.6 acres.
Chain Lakes is a 85-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Iosco County, Michigan. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 4 other monitored lakes in Iosco County, Chain Lakes ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Chain Lakes is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
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. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Chain Lakes 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 Chain Lakes
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Chain Lakes, 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 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.4 µg/L. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 12.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10.5µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.4µg/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 Chain Lakes
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
85 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Chain Lakes, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Chain Lakes
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Chain Lakes in Iosco 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 Chain Lakes
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Fishing Chain Lakes
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Stable7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.3 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable+0.03 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Iosco County
Frequently asked questions about Chain Lakes
Where is Chain Lakes?
- Chain Lakes is a lake in Iosco County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Chain Lakes?
- Chain Lakes in Iosco County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.4 µg/L. Surface area: 84.6 acres.
Is Chain Lakes safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore Chain Lakes across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
119 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_MICORPS119 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.