Deer Lake
Alger County, Michigan266 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Deer Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 70 ft max depth
- Limited data
Deer Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 265.6 acres.
Deer Lake is a 266-acre lake in Alger County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 70 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 1 documented fish species including Lake herring.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2018-09-16. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Deer Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Deep water70 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Deer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Deer 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 Deer Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Deer Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft. TSI 50.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.5ft | 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. | 50 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Deer Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
70 ft
Surface area
266 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Deer Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Deer Lake in Alger 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 Deer Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Michigan’s top lakes →
Follow Deer Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Deer Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2016–2018). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.3 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Deer Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040202010113-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Alger County
Frequently asked questions about Deer Lake
Where is Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake is a lake in Alger County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 70 ft. Surface area: 265.6 acres.
Is Deer Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Deer Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Deer Lake?
- Deer Lake has a maximum depth of 70 feet. The lake covers 265.6 acres.
What fish are in Deer Lake?
- Fish species found in Deer Lake include Lake herring. Deer Lake is located in Alger County, Michigan.
Explore Deer Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Michigan
Fish species and best lakes in Alger County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Top lakes and where to stay in the Upper Peninsula area
Where to stay at Michigan's top lakes, each with its readings
Michigan's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
More lakes in Michigan
Other Lakes in Michigan
Eutrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
45 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2018. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS45 samples · 2016–2018
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