Clifford Lake
Montcalm County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Clifford Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Limited data
Clifford Lake in Montcalm County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility.
Clifford Lake is a lake in Montcalm County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including Blackchin shiner, Bluegill, and Creek chub.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2017-06-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Clifford Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Fishing10 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Clifford Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Clifford 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 Clifford Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Clifford 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 10 ft. TSI 44.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | 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. | 44 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Clifford Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
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Stays near Clifford Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Clifford Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2016–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Clifford 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 MI040500060202-02 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Montcalm County
Frequently asked questions about Clifford Lake
Where is Clifford Lake?
- Clifford Lake is a lake in Montcalm County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Clifford Lake?
- Clifford Lake in Montcalm County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility.
Is Clifford Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Clifford Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What fish are in Clifford Lake?
- Fish species found in Clifford Lake include Blackchin shiner, Bluegill, Creek chub, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Largemouth bass, Rainbow darter, Rock bass, Rosyface shiner, Yellow bullhead. Clifford Lake is located in Montcalm County, Michigan.
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2017. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS16 samples · 2016–2017
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