Crystal Lake
Hillsdale County, Michigan125 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Crystal Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
Crystal Lake in Hillsdale County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4 µg/L. Surface area: 125 acres.
Crystal Lake is a 125-acre mesotrophic lake in Hillsdale County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including Black crappie, Bluegill, and Burbot. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Hillsdale County, Crystal Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Crystal Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing16 species recorded
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 Crystal 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 Crystal Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Crystal Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft. Phosphorus 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 4 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 9.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Crystal Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Crystal Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 55°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 56°F) and coldest in May (about 51°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (51°F) to its warmest (56°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 703 field readings (2022–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Crystal Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Surface area
125 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Crystal Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Crystal Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Crystal Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.8 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Crystal Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Crystal Lake Dam (completed 1976), built primarily for recreation on the Trib to Grand River; earth-type dam, 10 ft tall and 100 ft long.
- Surface area
- 125 ac
- Normal storage
- 90 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 290 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Hillsdale County Drain Commissioner
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00956 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Hillsdale County
Frequently asked questions about Crystal Lake
Where is Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake is a lake in Hillsdale County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake in Hillsdale County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 4 µg/L. Surface area: 125 acres.
Is Crystal Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in September, from 703 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
What fish are in Crystal Lake?
- Fish species found in Crystal Lake include Black crappie, Bluegill, Burbot, Common shiner, Emerald shiner, Green sunfish, Johnny darter, Lake herring, Lake whitefish, Largemouth bass, Mottled sculpin, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow smelt, Smallmouth bass, White sucker, Yellow perch. Crystal Lake is located in Hillsdale County, Michigan.
Explore Crystal Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
70 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS70 samples · 2021–2023
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.