Chicagon Lake
Iron County, Michigan1,083 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Chicagon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 110 ft max depth
- Limited data
Chicagon Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 110 ft. Surface area: 1082.5 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Chicagon Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 110 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Chicagon Lake is a 1,083-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Iron County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 110 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 1 documented fish species including Lake whitefish. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Iron County, Chicagon Lake ranks #15 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-08-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Chicagon Lake covers about 1,100 acres in Iron County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Chicagon Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Chicagon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water20 ft of visibility
- Deep water110 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,083 acres
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. Chicagon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Chicagon 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 Chicagon Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Chicagon Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down. Phosphorus 9 µg/L. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 20ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 9µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Chicagon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
110 ft
Surface area
1,083 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Chicagon Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Chicagon Lake in Iron 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 Chicagon Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Chicagon Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2017–2023).
Water clarity
Stable5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.29 µg/L/yr6 years
EPA Impairment Status
Chicagon Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040301060405-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Iron County
Frequently asked questions about Chicagon Lake
Where is Chicagon Lake?
- Chicagon Lake is a lake in Iron County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Chicagon Lake?
- Chicagon Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 20 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 110 ft. Surface area: 1082.5 acres.
Is Chicagon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Chicagon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Chicagon Lake?
- Chicagon Lake has a maximum depth of 110 feet. The lake covers 1082.5 acres.
What fish are in Chicagon Lake?
- Fish species found in Chicagon Lake include Lake whitefish. Chicagon Lake is located in Iron County, Michigan.
Explore Chicagon Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
65 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2017–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS65 samples · 2017–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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