Crystal Lake
Washtenaw County, Michigan13 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Crystal Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Limited data
Crystal Lake in Washtenaw County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Surface area: 13 acres.
Crystal Lake is a 13-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Washtenaw 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 7 other monitored lakes in Washtenaw County, Crystal Lake ranks #4 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2017-09-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Crystal Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water12.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing16 species recorded
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 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.
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft. Phosphorus 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.6 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 | 8.5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.6µg/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 Crystal Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
13 acres
No bathymetric survey has been published for Crystal Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
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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
2 seasons of samples on record (2016–2017). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Stable0 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-1.3 µg/L/yr2 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Crystal Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Preserve of Dexter Dam on the Unnamed Trib to Huron River, 33 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 13 ac
- Normal storage
- 130 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 170 ac-ft
- Hazard class
- Low
- Owner
- Community Development Group of AA
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MI00943 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Washtenaw County
Frequently asked questions about Crystal Lake
Where is Crystal Lake?
- Crystal Lake is a lake in Washtenaw 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 Washtenaw County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 12.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.6 µg/L. Surface area: 13 acres.
Is Crystal Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
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 Washtenaw County, Michigan.
Explore Crystal Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
29 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_MICORPS29 samples · 2016–2017
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.