Donnell Lake
Cass County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Donnell Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 65 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Donnell Lake in Cass County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L.
Donnell Lake is a lake in Cass County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 65 feet. The lake supports 26 documented fish species including Black crappie, Blackchin shiner, and Blacknose shiner. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-25. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Donnell Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing26 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Donnell 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 Donnell Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Donnell Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 10µg/L | Measured, not scored 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. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Donnell Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~65 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Donnell Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
14 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
222 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
853 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
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Stays near Donnell Lake
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Fish Species
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Fishing Donnell Lake
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Donnell Lake
Where is Donnell Lake?
- Donnell Lake is a lake in Cass County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Donnell Lake?
- Donnell Lake in Cass County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L.
Is Donnell Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Donnell Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Donnell Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 65 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
What fish are in Donnell Lake?
- Fish species found in Donnell Lake include Black crappie, Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, Blackstripe topminnow, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Bowfin, Brook silverside, Brown bullhead, Golden shiner, Grass pickerel, Green sunfish, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Lake chubsucker, Lake herring, Largemouth bass, Longnose gar, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Smallmouth bass, Tadpole madtom, Warmouth, White sucker, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch. Donnell Lake is located in Cass County, Michigan.
Can I fish at Donnell Lake?
- Public access to Donnell Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Michigan's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS2 samples · 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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)